Gaming of the Spear Wielder
by ARIF - A Random Isekai Fan
Summary: "What's a hero for you? A Slayer of Monsters. A Knight for Maidens. An Ally of Justice. Or A Defender of the Weak?" A R.O.B asked. "A Knight for Maidens. Why? Maybe, because the hero can get laid after saving maidens?" I replied and then got revived as Spear Hero with a power like The Gamer. This is the story of my second life. [SI-OC/RPG-Lit/Harem/Canon Divergence/World Hopping]
1. 1-1: Reviving as the Spear Wielder

**[****DISCLAIMER****]** — This story is fanfiction. The copyright of source materials belongs to their respective owners. Please support the official release!

**[****WARNING****]** — This story is rated M (MA) due to contents such as gores, profanities, violence, smut, and so on. If your age is less than 18-years-old, please consider skipping this story. Be responsible for your choice. You have been warned. Thank you for reading this warning!

* * *

**Volume 1: Chapter 1: Reviving as the Spear Wielder**

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 1—**_

Floating aimlessly in a void, I remembered that I was dead. How I died was unimportant, just like my old life. I was dead. End of discussion.

I felt numb. I couldn't feel the emotions that I could express openly when I was alive.

Then, this place. There was nothing… If I wasn't already numb, I would have become crazy. Or maybe, I was already crazy and the numbness was the manifestation of my craziness.

Whatever it was, I wanted to leave this place. I really wanted to leave this place.

**'Do you really want to leave this place?'** A distorted voice asked. The voice resounded from everywhere.

Huh? Who was that?

**'Your kinds call me A Random Omnipotent Being.'**

I blinked my spectral eyes. My mind tried to process the statement.

A ROB? Like the one in those self-insert fictional stories?

**'You can think like that.'**

I wasn't crazy because of staying in this void, was I?

**'You are not.'**

So, I wasn't crazy. I wonder if I was the main character in a fictional story due to this.

**'Are you ignoring me?'** A ROB asked, perplexed.

Ah, sorry. My mind was trying to wrap around this event.

**'Understandable. But, we have been digressing and you haven't answered my question.'**

That question, huh? The answer was obvious, right?

**'Regardless, I want to hear it from you directly.'**

Well, I wanted to live again. I had died young. There were many things that I wanted to do, but my death had changed my plan.

**'Then, would you like to make a deal with me?'**

A deal?

**'Yes. A deal. I will revive you in a world of my choice and I will even give you a gift.'**

A gift? Like a type of power in fiction?

**'Indeed.'**

What was the catch?

**'Just entertain me with your new life.'**

Only that? Was there another Reincarnator that I was going to face off in a death match later on?

**'That idea does sound ****appealing****, but, no. I'm haven't reached that point yet. As a matter of fact, you are my first vi—volunteer for this.'**

Did I hear something outrageous like almost calling me his — her — their victim? Well, whatever…

So, I was going to have a new life and a potential cheat just like that, yes? No strings attached? Really?

**'No strings attached. Really. I don't need to prepare some convoluted plan to spice up my entertainment. I believe you humans have something called "Butterfly Effect," are you not?'**

Ah, the theory that said "A single flap of butterfly's wings can create a hurricane in another part of the world," wasn't it? It was true. A single and minuscule change had the potential to bring untold chaos whether it was unintentional or not.

I thought that I understood where this was going… so, betting on the change that my existence would cause, eh?

**'Indeed.'**

By the way, what kind of a world I was going to be revived in?

**'****It is a s****ecret.'**

Very well, then. Back to the previous topic. Since there were no strings attached, it meant my total freedom, right?

**'Yes. You can do anything as you wish, as you please.'**

What A generous Random Omnipotent Being. Thank you very much.

**'You're welcome. Now, your answer.'**

Of course, I accepted it! I didn't want to stay here any longer than necessary.

**'Good answer. Before I gave you the gift that I promised and revived you, I have a question that you must answer.'**

Fine. Just ask the question away!

**'What is a hero for you? A Slayer of Monsters. A Knight ****for ****Maidens. A****n**** Ally of Justice. Or A Defender of the Weak?'**

A hero, huh? I didn't like Heroes that much, truth be told. I liked the Antiheroes more.

But, if asked and given those choices to pick out one, my choice was "A Knight for Maidens."

**'And why was that?'**

Why? Maybe, because the hero can get laid after saving maidens?

I died virgin previously! I wished that I could graduate from my virginity in my next life!

**'…I accept your answer.****'** The voiced declared, though it sounded exasperated. **'****Here, your gift.'**

Then, something appeared in my field of vision.

It looked like the HUD — Heads Up Display — in MMORPGs.

I assumed my cheat was similar to The Gamer. Well, a power like this could turn me into an overpowered being later on. So, all was good.

**'It is called RPG System,'** the voice continued, **'I am going to revive you now. My part ends here. Entertain me as the payment for helping you out of this predicament. Farewell.'**

Right after the announcement ended, I felt my consciousness becoming a fleeting thing.

* * *

_**—**_**_Part_ 2**_**—**_

I woke up without fanfares and found myself in a room, made of stone bricks with a high ceiling. I looked at the floor. It was covered in geometric patterns that had been painted in some sort of fluorescent material. There was also an altar of some kind and I was standing on it.

Finally, my eyes shifted to the item held tightly in my hand. I had been holding it unconsciously.

It was a spear. Not any spear. It was a gaudy looking spear with a white body, golden decorations, and a red gem.

It was the Holy Spear wielded by Motoyasu Kitamura, the Spear Hero in the Rising of the Shield Hero series and the protagonist of the Reprise of the Spear Hero.

I assume I was in the world of the Rising of the Shield Hero series. In addition, it looked like I was taking over Motoyasu's role as the Spear Hero.

…

**The Holy Spear is attempting to scan your mind. Allow? Y****es****/N****o**

…

A window cropped up in my HUD, asking me a question. I picked out "Yes" and returned to the major discovery in my new life.

So I was the "Hero" of the Holy Spear? Yet, I wasn't shocked. There was only apathy. I easily accepted it all.

Was this the effect of the Gamer Mind? Well, I would find out soon enough. But, I needed to put my mild curiosity on hold. At least, for the time being.

There were people watching me in awe. They were wearing robes like the typical mage's getups in fantasy stories. They were people who summoned the four Holy Heroes, most likely.

I could see their levels, and each one of them had a high level. The lowest was around LV 30s. The rest had Classed Up and were above LV 40.

I recalled that LV 40 was the first Level Cap for the population of this world. I guess they could live up their Titles as Court Mages.

Finally, I turned in the direction of the three guys who were resting on the floor. No, they were waking up now.

A black-haired kid with a sword, I guess he was Ren. Another kid with a wavy sandy brown hair with a bow, Itsuki. Last but not least, a guy with untamed black hair and a shield attached on his arm, Naofumi.

Then, me, the Spear Hero. So, all Holy Heroes assembled here.

"Oh…" Some mages made awed sounds as the rest of us woke up.

The other heroes finally stood up and looked around.

"Where are we?" Someone amongst us asked.

"Oh, Heroes! Please save our world!"

"""What?!"""

The other three shouted in unison. I, meanwhile, just deadpanned at the mage who appealed to us.

He should have done better than that, not confusing these guys. They weren't like me who knew what was happening and what would happen.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Naofumi asked, perplexed.

"There are many complications in this situation, but to offer a simple answer to your question, we have just completed an ancient ceremony and summoned you all, the four Heroes."

"Summoned?" Naofumi asked again.

I finally recalled that Naofumi was too trusting, very naïve, and so innocent at the beginning of the series. He was a good guy, but his luck was bad because he was summoned as the Shield Hero in a country that hated him just for existing.

"Our world teeters on the brink of destruction. Heroes, please lend us your strength," said the robed men, bowing very deeply to us.

"Well, it wouldn't hurt to…" Naofumi began to reply, but Ren and Itsuki spoke up quickly.

"I don't think so."

"We can go back to our world, right? We'll talk about your problems after that."

I gave them a side glance and kept my mouth shut. In the corner of my peripheral vision, I saw Naofumi glaring at Ren and Itsuki in silence.

Ren and Itsuki turned in Naofumi's direction and gave him a vague, condescending smile. It pissed off Naofumi even further.

Ren turned away from Naofumi's direction and pointed his sword at the robed men. He nearly shouted, "Don't you feel any guilt for calling people into your world without their permission?"

"Besides," said Itsuki, "Even if we save you and bring peace to your world, you'll just send us back home, right? That just sounds like a job to me." He was glaring at the robed men.

"Yes, well, we would very much like you to speak with the king. He will discuss future compensation with you in the throne room."

Stating that, one of the robed men, apparently their leader, leaned against a very heavy looking door until it opened, at which point he pointed in the direction we were to go.

"Fine."

"I don't think it really matters who we talk to, but whatever."

Ren and Itsuki complained as they left the room in the direction indicated.

I looked at Naofumi who looked lost and shrugged my shoulders. I followed them out, just as Naofumi who followed me in a hurry.

We walked out of the darkened room and down a hallway made of stone. I swiftly recognized the unpolluted air of this world. It felt fresh unlike the air in a modern city.

We were able to steal a glance through a window, and the scenery took the other three's breath away. But, I just looked at the scenery apathetically.

The clouds were high, high in the sky for as far as you could see. There, below us, a town spread out from the building we were in, all the houses lined up in am orderly fashion, just like one of those old European towns.

The other three seemed to want to take a pause and enjoy the scenery, but we were hurried past the window and down the hall, and soon enough we arrived at the throne room.

"Huh, so these kids are the four Holy Heroes?"

An important-looking older man was sitting there on the throne. He leaned forward as he spoke. He didn't make a good first impression on everyone, I excluded. Even the easygoing one like Naofumi seemed offended by the king's condescending attitude.

As an aside, his level was over the roof. It was above LV 100.

"My name is Aultcray Melromarc the thirty second, and I rule these lands. Heroes, show me your faces!"

I caught the other three's faces twisting before returning to a neutral state just in time. It looked like they couldn't stomach the king's attitude, but to me, it was clearly a power play.

Aultcray was a king and he needed to project his authority even if he was facing the Holy Heroes. Still, if I was like the other three, I would flip my lid due to his attitude.

"Now then, I shall begin with an explanation. This country, no, this whole world is on the brink of destruction." Aultcray began.

However, Ren and Itsuki cut in.

"Well, I guess that makes sense, considering you'd call for us from another world."

"Yeah, figures."

They didn't even show respect to the king in spite there was nothing to be respected from him. He wasn't the hero's renown that he was in the past because of his decadence and Malty's manipulation. Even so, he was still very strong. As apathetic as I might be, I didn't want to piss him off this early.

That aside, this was the short version of Aultcray's explanation — There was a prophecy about the end of the world. Many waves would appear, and they would wash over the world, again and again, until nothing remains. Unless the waves were repelled and their accompanying calamities avoided, the world was doomed.

The prophecy was from long ago, though the time it spoke of was now, this very moment. There was also a large and ancient hourglass that would signal the times. The hourglass predicted the arrival of the waves, and its sands began to fall one month ago. According to legend, the waves would come in one-month intervals.

In the beginning, the citizens of the land mocked the legends. However, when the sands in the hourglass began to fall, a great calamity visited the land. A fissure appeared in the country, Melromarc, a fissure to another dimension. Terrifying and horrible creatures crawled out from it in great numbers.

At the time, the country's knights and adventurers were able to repel the advance of the creatures, but the next wave was prophesied to be even more terrible.

At this rate, the country was doomed, having no way to ward off the impending disaster. Considering the situation nearly hopeless, the kingdom decided to summon heroes from another world.

That was it. I could understand Aultcray's story perfectly because of a translation function of some kind. Whether it was the Holy Spear or the RPG System, I was uncertain for the time being.

"All right," said Ren. "I think I understand where you're coming from. But does that mean you are basically commanding us to help you?"

"All this sounds pretty self-centered to me. If your world is on the road to destruction, just let it burn. I don't see what it has to do with us." Even though he said that Itsuki was struggling to hide his condescending giggle.

I just watched and listened to everything in silence.

"As they have said," Naofumi finally stepped forward, "we don't have a responsibility to help you. If we dedicate our time and lives to bringing peace to your kingdom, do we get anything besides a 'thanks and see you later'? I mean, I guess what I really want to know is if there is a way for us to get home. Could you tell me anything about that?"

"Hmmm…" Aultcray shot his vassal a sidelong glance. "Of course we are planning on compensating you all for your efforts."

The heroes, excluding myself, pumped their fists in celebration. I decided to check out my Status Window since I believed nothing important would come up next.

So far, my HUD was filled with the normal features from what you would expect from HUD in MMORPGs — Level, Gauges, Clock, Mini Map, Notice Box, and the icon to access Status.

I decided to open up my Status Window and discovered something like this—

…

**Class (Primary): Roleplaying Gamer LV 1**** (EXP: 0/10)**

**Class (Secondary: Displayed): Spear Hero LV 1**** (EXP: 0.10)**

**Equipment:**

**\- Holy Spear (Holy Artifact)**

**\- Other-World's Clothes Set**

**Parameter Status: [Open]**

**Hidden Status: [Open]**

**Skill List: [Open]**

**Party List: [Open]**

**Inventory: [Open]**

**Holy Spear: [Open]**

…

It looked like I had two Classes, and the secondary Class, Spear Hero, was the one that got displayed. I checked out Parameter Status.

Normally, The Gamer's Status had Strength (STR), Vitality (VIT), Dexterity (DEX), Intelligence (INT), Wisdom (WIS), and Luck (LUK). There were other iterations that included Charisma/Charm (CHR), and so on.

However, the Parameter Status had Attack (ATK), Defense (DEF), Speed (SPD), Magic Attack (M. ATK) and Magic Defense (M. DEF). This category was measured by numbers. I found that my ATK, SPD, and M. ATK were high, but DEF and M. DEF were low.

Every level up, it looked like I would obtain Status Points to increase this Parameter Status.

Unfortunately, I couldn't hoard Status Points because I must appoint them within a time limit. In spite of that, I was cool with it. It could be worse.

Then, there was the Hidden Status. The attributes were Constitution (Con), Dexterity (DEX), Mind (MND), Charm (CHR), and Luck (LUK). Unlike Parameter Status, the attributes in Hidden Status couldn't be increased by Status Points because they were measured by letter.

As of now, the grade of each attribute in Hidden Status was only "F." Well, there was a single exception — Luck, which was "EX" or "Unmeasurable." As an aside, the "G" rank seemed to be the lowest rank, which meant below the average.

I was clueless if my LUK was unmeasurable in a good way or a bad way, and I had decided to put my assumption on hold.

I prayed that my LUK was unmeasurable in a good way. I didn't want to have Lancer's bad Luck just because I was now the Owner of the Holy Spear.

In addition, the system didn't tell me how I could raise the grade of Hidden Status. I must experiment later on.

Skill List was next, but someone elbowed me to get my attention. I looked around, finding that everyone else was looking at me in exasperation, bemusement, neutrality, and even contempt.

"What?" I asked bluntly.

"Introduce yourself, man. Ren, Itsuki, and I have introduced ourselves. It's your turn now." Naofumi sounded exasperated.

"Ah, okay. Let me think about a name first."

"Huh?" Naofumi looked perplexed. "Why? Just give your name already. What's wrong with you."

I looked at him in silence and he looked unnerved for some reason.

"I have died." I began, "This is my new life, so I want my name to symbolize my new beginning, so to speak."

"What?!" Naofumi was taken aback by my blunt answer.

"Ah, you too, huh."

"I see. So you have died too…"

"Et Tu, guys?"

Naofumi looked unnerved when Ren and Itsuki gave me understanding looks. The two then gazed at empty space with a faraway look. Not only Naofumi, everyone in the audience chamber had a troubled expression when the three of us were acting out of it.

"How did you die? A dump truck struck me when I returned back from my prep school." Itsuki started with a hollow gaze and a nihilistic smile.

"A steel girder fell on me when I walked near a construction site," I responded bluntly.

"I see," Itsuki flinched at my blunt response. He asked Ren, "What about you?"

"I died when I tried to help my friend from a mugging attempt. Got stabbed at…" Ren trailed and flinched as he grabbed the side of his body.

We turned in Naofumi's direction and he recoiled from our looks. Well, I already knew that Naofumi was still alive when he got summoned, but the other two didn't know that. They wanted to hear Naofumi's death, but he was going to disappoint them.

"I just read a novel in a library when I was summoned suddenly…" Naofumi trailed off and had a stiff expression after receiving the cold, contemptuous looks from Ren and Itsuki. I still had my usual gaze, but I didn't think it was any better than their looks.

"Anyway," I said, gathering everyone's attention to me, "Call me Arif. Twenty-three years old. I just graduated from college."

"Why Arif? That name sounds Arabic when you look like a westerner?" Ren asked.

"It's true that Arif sounds Arabic and it means intelligent, knowledgeable, and wise. But, this name is actually an abbreviation."

"Of what?" Itsuki asked, perplexed.

"A Random Isekai'd Fellow."

Naofumi looked at me incredulously, Ren snorted as he tried to hide his laughter, and Itsuki just smiled at me.

Itsuki's smile was both indulging and condescending. Even though he was the youngest of us, he was a dick. A little dick, but still a dick. If I was any other person, I would flip my lid from Itsuki's attitude.

Aultcray coughed, trying to bring our attention back to the topic. He spoke, "Now then. Ren, Arif, and Itsuki, correct?"

"Your Grace, you've forgotten me," Naofumi interjected suddenly.

"Ah yes, pardon me, Mr. Naofumi."

Aultcray looked at Naofumi with unveiled contempt. As a matter of fact, there were more than just contempt in his look. There seemed to be hatred, but I forgot the reason behind Aultcray's hatred for Naofumi.

…

**Sense Intent: learned**

…

Looks like I learned a useful skill from perceiving Aultcray's intent. It was good.

"Now then, Heroes," said Aultcray. "Please confirm your status, and give yourselves an objective evaluation."

"Huh?" Naofumi released another confused sound.

He was really bad before his personality warped due to his hatred, huh?

"Excuse me, but how are we supposed to evaluate ourselves?" asked Itsuki.

Ren sighed loudly like he couldn't be bothered to explain it to them. "You mean to say that you all haven't figured it out yet? Didn't you realize it the moment you arrived here?"

Naofumi looked in Ren's direction sourly but held his opinion to himself.

"I mean," Ren went on, "Haven't you noticed any weird icons hanging out in your peripheral vision?"

"Huh?" Again, Naofumi did that.

I ignored the rest and returned to my own Status Window. I was going to check out my Skill List before I was interrupted before.

So, where was I before? Ah, yeah, Skill List. There was only a single skill listed in the Skill List.

It was called Gamer Mode. It was a fusion of several skills such as:

Gamer Physiology — the stereotypical Gamer Body with additional Respawn that allowed me to respawn after death.

I sensed mild amusement because having the ability to respawn indirectly told me that I had an "EX" rank Battle Continuation. Yes, all Lancers must have Battle Continuation skill after all.

Ha, ha, ha, what a lame joke…

Gamer Psychology — the stereotypical Gamer Mind with the additional Language Comprehension that allowed me to master (I.e. listening, talking, reading and writing) another language that I never if ever learned.

I tested it, wishing to be able to speak Japanese, and the vocabulary and grammar just appeared in my mind as if I suddenly remembered something that I had forgotten a long time ago. Fortunately, I found no harm from this phenomenon.

The skill could be useful in the future. I could read this world's language, unlike the other heroes. I recalled that the Translate Function of the Holy Weapons only translated spoken words.

Gamer Sight — the stereotypical Observe skill of The Gamer that allowed me to read Status and Information of a character whose LV below mine. If a character's LV was above mine, I was limited to see their LV and Race. When I observed an item, no such limitation imposed on me.

Overall, Gamer Mode was really an unfair advantage.

I preferred to keep this power hidden from the others. They would be jealous and they would do stupid things due to their jealousy. I didn't want to get dragged into trouble they caused if I could help it.

As an aside, when I inquired a bit deeper about this skill, I discovered that my emotionally stunted state wasn't due to Gamer Mode. It only protected the user's mind from any mind-control or mind-reading attempt and allowed me to perceive the world like a gamer who was playing a game in the safety behind a monitor.

It looked like my muted emotion was due to that void in which I stayed for an unknown amount of time.

That sucked.

But, it couldn't be helped.

I hoped that I could restore my ability to normally feel emotions in the future…

Well, moving on.

The next Status Window's function was Inventory and it was like the typical inventory in MMORPGs. It displayed as panels and each one could hold the same item up to 999 pieces. It had countless panels and had no weight or size limits.

In addition, Inventory could hold living beings and they would be put in stasis.

Another broken feature. I remembered that the Holy Weapons had the same function called Item Box, but I put my opinion on which was the better one after experimenting later on.

I checked out Party List. It looked like I could enlist up to six party members and they would have the limited version of Gamer Mode.

Another advantage to abuse later on.

The last feature was the Holy Spear function. It had Weapon's Form List, Item Box, Strengthening Methods, and Help function. The details were for another time.

"Level one, huh? That makes me nervous," Itsuki remarked, taking my attention away from my Status Window.

"What is all this?" Naofumi sounded perplexed and the king swiftly responded in return to his question.

"Do these things not exist in your world, oh Heroes? You are experiencing 'Status Magic.' Everyone in this world can see and use it."

Looks like Aultcray wanted to get dirt from Naofumi as much as he could. He really hated Naofumi because the guy was chosen as the Hero of Holy Shield, huh? Naofumi didn't seem to realize that too…

"Really?" Naofumi sounded amazed. "And what are we supposed to do? These numbers seem awfully low."

"Yes, well. You will need to go on a journey to further polish your abilities, and to strengthen the Holy Weapons you possess."

"Strengthen them? You mean these things aren't strong right from the get-go?"

"That is correct. The summoned Heroes must raise their Holy Weapons by themselves. That is how they will grow strong."

I idly listened to their talk, but Ren cut in, "We can work all that out later on. Right now, we should focus on improving ourselves, just like the king has asked us to do."

"Are we going to form a party? The four of us?"

"Wait just a moment, Heroes." Aultcray cut in before the rest of us could give a reply to Naofumi's question.

As a matter of fact, I planned to reject the plan because I already knew about the limitations of the Holy Weapons. The memory was vague, but I could recall some things.

"Hm?" Naofumi looked at Aultcray in confusion.

"The four of you should set out separately, to recruit your own companions."

"Why is that?"

"According to the legends," Aultcray began, answering Naofumi's question, "The Holy Weapons you possess will interfere with one another should you form a party. Both your weapons and yourselves can only grow when you are apart from one another."

"I don't really understand all that, but if we stay together, we can't level up, right?" Ren asked to clarify.

At that moment, we received a notification in our HUD. To me, it was different from the standard window of the RPG System, so I swiftly understood that it was from the Holy Weapon's system.

…

**Attention: the Holy Weapons and their owners will experience adverse effects if they fight together.**

…

**Caution: it is preferable that the owners and weapons are used individually.**

…

"I guess it's true then…" Naofumi trailed off despondently.

"So you think we should try and form our own parties?" asked Ren to clarify.

Aultcray spoke, "I will attempt to secure travel companions for you all. Regardless, the evening draws near. Heroes, you should rest for the night and prepare for departure on the morrow. In the meantime, I will find companions for you from the village below."

"Thank you very much."

"Thanks."

We all thanked Aultcray, though I did it halfheartedly

Then, we all retired to our room for the night, led by an attendant.

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 3—**_

On the way to our assigned room, I was contemplating my future. Because of my incomplete memory in regard to the Rising of the Shield Hero series, I hoped that I could learn Occlumency or anything that allowed me to recall my old memory perfectly.

I need it. ASAP.

Tomorrow was going to be the time we would be assigned with our party members and I guess the Bitch would make an appearance too.

I wondered who the Bitch would use when I didn't show any interest to take her in my party. Ren, perhaps? Nope. It was probably Itsuki.

Itsuki's arrogance and delusion as the Ally of Justice was a weakness that Malty would take advantage of.

Personally, I didn't want to get Motoyasu's party members in the source materials because they seemed useless and only acted like cheerleaders. It was true that I wanted girls to join my party, but I wanted them like Raphtalia who could fight too. I wanted them deadly as they were pretty.

Speaking of Raphtalia, should I get her before Naofumi?

Truth be told, I was very tempted to get Raphtalia before Naofumi. I couldn't remember it clearly but she seemed to be royal blood of Q'Ten Lo. Being a badass was in her blood.

But, she was very important for Naofumi's development later on, and taking her away from Naofumi meant that I neutered Naofumi's potential to be the badass shield bro he was in the series.

I needed Naofumi to develop like his canonical counterpart. Why? Because I needed him for assurance.

Since he was the so-called protagonist. He was chosen by fate and had Plot-Armor to protect him.

I didn't want to fix all the problems in this world alone. Why would I bother fixing everything if someone else could do it for me?

Well, I was going to think through everything later on. For now, I must ask Ren and Itsuki about their weapon's strengthening methods.

We were currently led toward our room. It looked like we were given a single room to share, just like in the source materials.

Soon, we arrived inside the room. Ren immediately went to bed. Naofumi and Itsuki walked to a small, round table with chairs and recliners around it. I headed for Ren.

"What's it?" he asked me as he looked away from his Holy Weapon's system window.

"Can you tell me about Sword's strengthening methods? I will tell you about the spear's." I responded bluntly.

Naofumi and Itsuki looked at us, interested in the topic.

"Why? Shouldn't you already know about that? You play Bravestar Online too, right?"

"Nope," I responded shortly.

"Bravestar Online? I am sure this looks like a console game Dimension Wave," Itsuki chimed in.

"Consoles? Who is still playing that ancient stuff? Nowadays, VR technology has made those things obsolete."

Naofumi and Itsuki looked perplexed after they heard Ren's derisive statement.

"VR? You mean virtual reality, right?" Naofumi asked aloud, his voice hinting his confusion.

"Of course. What did you think?" Ren asked, sounded exasperated. His look at Naofumi and Itsuki spoke his amazement at their obliviousness.

Previously, I wished to steer the conversation so we wouldn't get into tangents, but it didn't seem to go as I wished. Even Murphy's Law still functioned in another world, huh?

"I have a hunch," my statement took everyone's attention, "It looks like we come from different worlds, or at least, alternate versions of Earth."

They looked at me incredulously in unison.

"Have you ever heard "Multiverse Theory"?"

"Yeah, but…" Naofumi trailed off and looked unsure.

Ren and Itsuki shared an uncertain look.

I could understand why they looked uncertain. It sounded so far-fetched, but we were now in another world, one with heavy fantasy elements in it.

Then again, Ren and Itsuki seemed to think they were in a game, unlike Naofumi who already realized that this world was real as our previous world.

"If you want to find out, try to compare something that's common sense in your respective world." I decided to give them help so we could move on to a more important topic quickly.

"What about you?" Naofumi asked.

"Nah, I am sure that we came from different versions of Earth. You needn't include me in your discussion."

"That he said," Naofumi turned in the direction of the other two, "Let's compare the year and the name of Japan's prime minister in our time first."

Ren and Itsuki nodded their assent. Then, they began comparing their common knowledge and found out that everything was different.

"Told you so," I stated simply at the three dumbstruck guys.

I focused on Ren again, asking him to return to the previous topic with my look.

It looked like he understood it. He then sat on the edge of the bed and started giving me a lecture.

"In Bravestar Online, there are three main strengthening methods of your main equipment," he tried to sound wise and smart, though he was badly hiding his smugness.

I didn't mind it. He could be as smug as he wanted and relished in his superiority for the time being. In the end, I was going to profit the most from this.

I kept my focus on Ren as he lectured me about the strengthening methods of the Holy Sword.

From Ren's explanation, I unlock Proficiency, Energy Grant, Rarity, and Skill Points.

In addition, he also told me how this world reminded him of Bravestar Online.

"What about you?" Ren asked me.

"Warcraft Online." I just pulled out the name randomly. "Alright. It's my turn now."

"Don't bother. I don't need a lame strengthening method from whatever games you have played." Ren waved me off dismissively and returned back to his Holy Weapon's system window.

I shrugged off his dismissal. Since he didn't want to hear it when I offered the Holy Spear's strengthening methods, it was his loss.

I turned in the direction of Itsuki and Naofumi. I caught their expression, and I didn't think that they had unlocked Sword's Strengthening Methods.

I became curious about it and then recalled the most important requirement to unlock the Strengthening Methods of the Holy Weapons.

The Wielders need to believe that such methods existed.

Just what's "belief"? From what I could remember, "belief" is the acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof. Confidence in believing something is the most important factor.

The Holy Weapons know if their Wielders believing in something or not because they scan their wielder's mind.

Since I knew that the strengthening methods were a thing in the canon knowledge, I believed them to be true. Thus, the Holy Spear unlocked the Sword's Strengthening Methods.

I walked to Itsuki and asked him about his Holy Bow's strengthening methods. Just like what happened with Ren, Itsuki explained the strengthening method of the bow.

He sounded like he was bragging and even commented on how lame Ren's strengthening methods were.

His comment sparked a fight with Ren and those two started arguing whose strengthening methods were better.

From Itsuki's explanation, I unlocked "Job Assignment" and "Ore Enchant". There was also Rarity, but I had unlocked it from Ren's explanation. Skill Points affected Rarity, after all.

I ignored them and went to Naofumi. The guy readily told me his Strengthening Method. He only had one and it was the "Item Encyclopedia Bonus."

"Can you tell me about yours now?" Naofumi asked, but it looked like he asked that for courtesy sake.

I didn't think he knows about the main condition to unlock the Holy Weapon's Strengthening Methods. In his perspective, we were only comparing our methods and he didn't think that he could unlock the other methods because our assigned weapons were different.

As of now, he was still too trusting and his potential to unlock the other strengthening weapons was better than when he'd become the bitter version of himself. But, I was going to tell him this information later on.

Regardless, I told Naofumi about Holy Spear's default strengthening methods.

"Alright. I'm going to take a walk outside." I told him after concluding our talk.

"Huh?" Naofumi was taken aback by my soft and sudden announcement. "Why?"

I silently shifted my eyes towards the bickering children in the room. Ren and Itsuki were still at it.

"Heh… They are still at it. Personally, I think that each method has its pros and cons." Naofumi remarked as he watched the arguing children.

"Do you want to join me?"

"Nah. I'm good. Besides, what happened today exhausts me. I want to laze around for a while."

"Fine, then. See you later, Naofumi."

"You too, Arif."

We parted away and I walked to the door. My movement took the attention of Ren and Itsuki.

"Where are you going?" Itsuki asked.

"Taking a walk outside. Do you want to join me?"

"Nah. I need to tell this guy that his methods are super lame."

Ren scoffed at Itsuki's remark. "Your methods are the lamest ones. Job Assignment doesn't have any relation to a weapon's strengthening method, you dunce."

With that, they started arguing again, forgetting about me.

That was fine with me. I'd like to have a walk alone. I wanted to try out something after I unlocked those strengthening methods.

Besides, I was aware of the Shadows that had been keeping their eyes on us. They couldn't hide from the Mini Map.

And so, I left our assigned room to find a place to experiment with something that cropped up in my mind.

* * *

_**—Part 4—**_

I was currently in an empty training field that a cute maid had led me to. She was certainly good looking and I wouldn't mind to hit on her, but I didn't think she was going to be useful as my party member. Who I needed in my party wasn't only good looking girls. I needed my party members to be able to fight too.

That aside, my reason to search for this place was for experimenting.

First, I tried to learn Spear Mastery and succeeded after trying out some moves and maneuvers. Of course, I didn't know a thing about using spear besides stabbing the pointy end to my target or smashed their head with the shaft. Afterward, I tried to experiment with the Strengthening Methods of the Holy Weapons.

The experiment gave me a good result.

I unlocked Clay Spear from making the Holy Spear absorb the ground. In addition, absorbing more ground successfully increased Clay Spear's proficiency. It looks like proficiency could be increased by absorbing the item that unlocked a certain form.

Well, Ren's explanation about Proficiency was vague and I had convinced the Holy Spear to increase proficiency by absorbing the material that unlocked a certain form. Fortunately, the Holy Spear allowed it to happen and now I could increase Clay Spear's proficiency by absorbing the ground.

This discovery was a loophole that I was going to abuse. This also helped me to carry on and increased the success rate of my plan tomorrow.

As an aside, a traitorous part of me told me to just accept the Bitch in my party just for enjoying her body. She was said to be very attractive and she could fight too. But, remembering her personality from anime made me discard that idea.

Even if I was apathetic to almost all things, I didn't think that I would like to stick my dick into a girl with a personality that wasn't different from waste disposal.

I wasn't going to invite her to my party just because I want to fuck her. She wasn't worth the hassle and I had a standard.

All the digressions aside, back to my experiment.

'Hmmm… So, ten points of proficiency can increase skill mastery by a percent. That's good.'

I stopped the Holy Spear from absorbing the ground. I was now standing inside a waist-deep hole with a 2-meter diameter. That volume was enough to fill Clay Spear's proficiency to the maximum limit of 100 points.

I drained the proficiency and used it to increase my skill mastery. Then, I continued digging a hole to refill the Clay Spear's drained proficiency, and when the proficiency was filled up, I drained it to raise up my skill mastery. Rinse and repeat.

Before long, Sense Intent, Sense Presence, Spear Mastery, and Night Vision were mastered. I learned Sense Presence from trying to sense the Shadows that followed us after we left the audience chamber for our assigned room. I learned Night Vision not a long time ago as the light around me dimmed due to the depth of this hole.

Speaking of which, I looked at the mouth of this hole and found that it was very far above. It looked like a small dot to me. I didn't have breathing problems and think that it is because of Gamer Mode.

Soon, I continued digging and then used the points to strengthen Clay Spear. The speed of my digging rose significantly after the Clay Spear got strengthened. Amidst doing that, I wondered if I was lucky enough to find magic ore deposits.

"Hmmm? I can use the Map's search function to find one, right?" I verbalized my realization. "Okay, let me try…"

I paused and started fiddling with the Map's search function. Soon, I found out several magic ore deposits under the castle town.

"It's deep below the cathedral of the Church of Three Heroes, huh?"

I decided to go to that place.

Some time later, I arrived in the first magic ore deposit.

It was a beautiful sight. The crystals were glowing with fluorescent colors. If I was like any normal person, I would have been awestruck by the breathtaking scenery, but I didn't feel a thing.

Well, I felt something in the air. The ambiance of this small cavern with walls covered by glimmering magic ores was very unique. It gave me a faint and harmless electrifying sensation. It felt ticklish and comfortable at the same time.

…

**Sense MP: learned**

…

Hm? It looked like I accidentally learned a skill to sense magic power. I guess the unique ambiance in the air was because of magic power?

…

**Attention: a strong Dragon Pulse is detected!**

…

The Holy Spear informed me via a pop-up window of the Holy Weapon's system. There was also an explanation about the Dragon Pulse and what it was.

In short—the Dragon Pulse was a magic power hotspot in a certain location. I could liken it to the concept of Ley Lines or Dragon Veins on Earth. The magic ore deposits existed because the strong magic energy gravitated underground.

I swiftly instructed the Holy Spear to absorb the magic ores. I had unlocked some Weapon's Forms due to allowing the Holy Spear to absorb some magic ore shards.

The Holy Spear absorbed the magic ores into the Holy Spear's Item Box, and soon, the first deposit was emptied and the Holy Spear continued on absorbing the ground, creating a tunnel, to reach the next deposit.

A few hours later, I cleaned all deposits beneath the Church of Three Heroes HQ. When I checked out the Clock, it was around 1 AM in the morning. There were several hours before dawn.

I decided to take a break and tried to learn Meditation. I wanted to learn something similar to Occlumency and I faintly recalled in Harry Potter fan's fictional stories that Meditation was the key to learn Occlumency.

Of course, it was just an assumption, but it was better than nothing.

Several minutes later, I successfully learned Meditation and mastered the skill by spending drained Proficiency. When the skill was mastered, I could delve into the deepest part of my mind — my subconscious.

I discovered my old memory in that place.

I swiftly searched my old memory that was related to the Rising of the Shield Hero series. Web Novel, Light Novel, Manga, and Anime. Even fan's fictional stories about RotSH. I refreshed my memory and got what I wanted.

When I returned to the real world, I discovered that time had passed by several minutes. It felt like days in my mindscape. I suppose time in my mindscape flowed faster than in the real world.

I chose to enchant the Holy Spear's current unlocked form, though I focused on the Equip Bonuses more than unlocking the Enchantment spaces of the weapon's forms. Why was that? Because the Equip Bonus can become permanent after a weapon was mastered. In addition, I had unlocked the Body Modification method from my memory.

After strengthening several forms that the Holy Spear unlocked, I checked out their details.

…

**Clay Spear +10: (AF) 75/75 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 1,250 ATK**

**Unlocked Ability: Digging Up (Extra Large): Consumption (Small)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: ATK +50, DEF +75, SPD +50, M. ATK +65, M. DEF +85, Resist Magical (Small), Resist Fire (Small), Resist Water (Small), Resist Ice (Small), Resist Wind (Small), Resist Electric (Small), Resist Earth (Small), Resist Light (Small), Resist Darkness (Small), Resist Abnormal-Status (Small)**

…

**Rock Spear +10: (AF) 95/95 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 2,500 ATK**

**Unlocked Ability: Piercing Damage Up (Extra Large): Consumption (Small)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Mineral Appraisal +15, ATK +85, DEF +90, SPD +10, M. ATK +45, M. DEF +55, CON Up (Huge), DEX Up (Small), MND Up (Small), CHR (Medium), Earth Magic Up (Large)**

…

**Magic Ore Spear +10: (AF) 115/115 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 3,750 ATK**

**Unlocked Ability: MP Up (Extra Large), MP Recovery Up (Large): No Consumption**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: ATK +40, DEF +65, SPD +15, M. ATK +95, M. DEF +100, HP Up (Medium), HP Recovery Up (Medium), MP Up (Extra Large), MP Recovery Up (Extra Large), SP Up (Small), SP Recovery Up (Small), Magic Damage Up (Extra Large)**

…

There were some other forms, but let's put them aside for now. Besides, their details were more or less similar to those three.

For the Clay Spear, I was intentionally enhancing it with low-quality Resistance bonuses because I only needed those Resistances to be registered in Skill List.

As an aside, I discovered the five grades of effect's potency. Starting from the lowest to the highest, it was Small (S) and then Medium (M), Huge (H), Large (L), finally Extra Large (XL).

Soon, I completed the Body Modification method and restrengthened the forms. With the permanent bonus of mastering those forms, I was confident that I could pull off my plan tomorrow. The success of my plan depended on my ability to fight off a knight or an adventurer that the king would prepare for me.

There was no way the king would allow me just to go off alone. Thus, I was going to fight either a knight or an adventurer to tell him that they were going to be a burden.

"That's enough for tonight."

I was certain that the people in the castle were searching for me. I'd been staying for several hours underground now. Better getting back sooner before something bad like the High Priest decided to kill the other three heroes because he thought that I'd died buried underground.

* * *

_**—****_Extra_: Shield Hero—**_

My name is Iwatani Naofumi, and I'm a sophomore in college. I'm also aware that I am more of a nerd than the rest of my classmates. Ever since I first became interested in video games and anime and other Otaku past-times, I've given them more of my time than I give my actual studies.

But, enough with the introduction. As of now, I'm in an interesting predicament.

The other three guys and I have been summoned to another world as heroes. It was just like the cliche plot in novels that I read, but I would be lying if I wasn't excited by the idea.

I was summoned when I was reading _the record of the four holy weapons_. In that story, the four heroes that were summoned to another world to face off the Wave of Destruction wielded four different weapons — a sword, a spear, a bow, and a shield. Well, a shield was supposed to be armor, though.

Regardless, the world, the land that the others and I were summoned to was called Melromarc. It looked similar to the record of the four holy weapons. And you guess what? I got the short end of the stick and was chosen as the Shield Hero.

Last night, after one of our companions left for his walk, Ren and Itsuki started poking fun on my Class: Shielder. They mercilessly told me that Shielder was the most useless class of all. But, I was an optimist. If I couldn't fight, then I would let my future companion fight and I would defend them with my ridiculous Defense stat.

Let's digress for a little bit and talk about my companions who got summoned alongside me.

The Sword Hero, Amaki Ren. He was an attractive young guy. His face was handsome, and he was relatively short, maybe 160-centimeter. If he cross-dressed, you'd mistake him for a girl in an instant. His face was so composed. His hair was black and cut short. His eyes were sharp, and his skin was white. Overall he gave off a cool impression. Like a quick, slender swordsman.

The Bow Hero, Kawasumi Itsuki. He looked like the calm, piano-playing sort of character. How to explain it? He seemed vain, and yet, at the same time, he held some hidden strength. There was something indefinite about him. Something vague. He was the shortest among us, probably somewhere around 155 centimeters. His hairstyle was slightly wavy as if it had been permed. He was like a soft-spoken younger brother.

The Spear Hero, Arif. I was uncertain how I should describe him as a person. He seemed detached and reclusive. His voice was soft and silky but very apathetic. His face was handsome and exotic, he wasn't a Japanese like the rest of us. He looked western to me. Additionally, he looked like a type of guy who was sure to have girls falling for him left and right. He was tall, probably around 175-centimeter or a bit more. His hair was as black as Ren's, but it's a little wilder. Not as wild as mine, however. Overall he seemed like a good-looking introvert guy.

All of them had died before they were summoned, and I was the only one who was alive when I got summoned. I felt singled out when those three exchanged their horrible experiences. I was uncertain about Ren and Itsuki, they seemed fine to me. But, Arif had this emotionless expression almost all the time. I suppose his death hit him hard.

We then had the audience with the king of this land. He called himself Aultcray Melromarc the thirty-second. He was old and very condescending. Truth be told, I disliked his attitude even if he was a king. We discovered that we couldn't go adventuring together as a party because of the limitations imposed by our Holy Weapons on us. Fortunately, the king promised us to find volunteers to join us in our adventure.

After we concluded our meeting with the king, we were led to our assigned room that we shared together. In there, I discovered that Arif was an okay guy in spite of his introvert nature. He started to ask the rest of us about our Holy Weapon's strengthening methods, and I didn't have problems with it. Each weapon had its pros and cons, just as its strengthening methods.

It was also when we discovered that we came from different versions of Earth. I wasn't sure about Arif's version of Earth because he didn't join the rest of us when we compared our common knowledge, but he believed that we were all coming from different alternate versions of Earth.

Arif was surprisingly open-minded and very patient. He calmly listened to Ren and Itsuki when they bragged out their knowledge about the games that seemed to be similar to this world. However, Ren and Itsuki began to bicker about whose strengthening methods were better and they had gone into it for a while. When they stopped their bickering, Arif had left the room at that point, they began poking fun at me because of my Class.

Yeah, it sucks to get the weakest class, but I believe that I could pull this through.

Then, we fell asleep when it was very late. However, Arif hadn't returned yet. Well, he was the oldest amongst us and he could keep himself safe, probably.

My expectation was betrayed. Arif, for some reason, dug a very deep hole in a knight's training field. We were woken up by the castle's attendants and left for the knight's training field. We found the hole in question, and it was so deep that nobody dared to jump in. We had tested the depth by throwing a stone, but it hit the bottom after a while.

Why and how Arif had created such a deep hole was beyond me. I wondered if he was safe down here. I feared that he died because of the lack of oxygen to breathe.

At least, he returned alive from a front gate around 2 AM. He gave the whole castle a scare because of his stunt. When he was questioned why he did that, he bluntly replied that he was searching for magic ore deposits under castle city that he knew from his in-game knowledge. Honestly, digging all night to get magic ore deposits? Well, it was certainly useful since he found those deposits. He even shared some with the rest of us. However, he should tell us or the castle's staff first.

This morning, when I woke up, I discovered that Arif was already awake. Did he even sleep? Did his death affect him so much that he had trouble sleeping, unlike Ren and Itsuki who seemed fine? Well, I don't know and I don't dare to ask about it. I just felt bad for him. I hoped that he would get over his trauma of death soon…

Then, we had a sumptuous breakfast. And, man, we found another odd trait of Arif. He was a bottomless pit. He could eat everyone under the table. As a matter of fact, he ate three times our meals put together. He was really the oddest amongst us. Still, how could he eat so fast while maintaining his table manner? He left everyone — the rest of us, the maids, and even the knights guarding the area — awestruck and speechless by the sheer quantity he had eaten.

After we finished eating breakfast, we were waiting in anticipation for the king's summons. It was only natural to give us a little spare time in the morning. No one wanted to feel rushed out of bed.

Finally, when the sun was pretty high in the sky, probably around ten o'clock, the king called for us. We could hardly contain ourselves, and hurried to the audience chamber, our hearts dancing in our chests. At least, I thought that happened to me, Ren, and Itsuki. Arif still had his deadpan face like the usual.

"The Heroes enter."

The doors to the audience chamber swung open to reveal a group of twelve strangers, all dressed as though they were about to embark on an adventure of their own.

There were knights among them.

The king certainly knew how to show his support.

We all bowed to the king and settled in to listen to his proposal.

"As we discussed yesterday, I have called for others to assist you in your journey. Apparently, my call did not go unheeded."

If there were three assistants provided to each of us, we might just survive.

"Now then, gathered adventurers, please choose the Holy Hero with whom you will travel with."

Wait, So THEY got to choose?

That came as a shock to the three of us. Arif was, well, he watched one pillar intently for some reason. As I said, he was the oddest amongst us.

By the way, back to the topic. When I thought about it, it only made sense. We all came from another world, so what do we know about our journey? Better to let the experienced citizens made the decision.

The four of us lined up.

The gathered adventures shuffled over in our direction and formed little clumps before their intended partners.

Five people stood before Ren.

Four people stood before Arif.

Three people stood before Itsuki.

And before me? Yeah—zero.

"But Sir!" I called to the king. How could this be? It was so unfair!

The king was unnerved by my protest. He spoke, "I did not anticipate anything like this."

"He's not very popular, is he?" The minister sighed as if there was nothing he could do about it.

The king, for his part, seemed disinterested.

The men in robes were whispering something to the king, and they all seemed to laugh. But why?

"So there are rumors?" the king sounded amused.

What rumors? I couldn't make sense of it. It was like being in elementary school when we'd split into teams. I guess I was the last one picked? How could they do this to me, here, in a completely new world?

"It seems that people are whispering around the castle. They are saying that among the four Heroes, the Shield Hero does not know very much about our world."

"What?!" I reflexively shouted.

"The legends say that the four summoned Heroes will have an understanding of our land. People are wondering if you will truly be able to fulfill the conditions set out in the legends."

Understanding of their land? I remembered my conversation with Ren and Itsuki about their games, so the king probably meant that.

Besides, Ren and Itsuki were leaving me on my own because I hadn't heard of a game?! I couldn't ask Arif last night because he had gone digging the ground all night. In addition, what kind of a legend was this, anyway? I might not know much about their kingdom, but I was still the Shield Hero! For whatever reason…

According to Ren and Itsuki, I was stuck with the most useless class… but this wasn't a game, to begin with!

"Ren! You can't even use five people! Let's share!"

The adventures standing around Ren (and men among them) all suddenly huddled behind him, quaking in their boots. They were behaving like terrified little sheep.

Ren looked annoyed and scratched his head, perplexed. Then he said, "I'm more of a loner, myself. So if you can't cut it, I'm leaving you behind."

He said it relatively forcefully, but none of the people behind him showed any signs of moving.

"Arif! What do you think of this? Isn't it horrible?!"

"Yep. Pretty horrible. " He replied bluntly, but he didn't seem to mean it.

Was he making fun of me?! I thought he was better than this!

"If they want to join you," he continued, "by any mean please take them away from me. They look like a bunch of cheerleaders than fighters. They will drag me down."

Everyone in the audience chamber and I looked at him incredulously. The girls around him looked scandalized and angry at his blunt statements. I wonder what a cheerleader was translated into this world's language.

By the way, I'd like to point out that there was not a single man among the adventurers with Arif. It looks like he was setting up a brothel or something.

"Well," Itsuki's voice jolted us awake, "I don't want to be biased here… but uh…"

He looked a little confused but seemed to be saying that he couldn't exactly refuse the help that he'd been offered. It was an indirect jab at Arif's decision. However, Itsuki didn't seem to notice it himself, though.

All the adventurers gathered around Arif were women. I guess he really did have a way with them. It was like some kind of involuntary attraction. Well, he was the most good looking one of all of us. Well, was it just me or did Arif become more handsome?! Whatever…

Back to the topic. I couldn't accept this!

"I suppose it would be fair to split them evenly, with each of us getting three. But then again, it's not gentlemanly to deny them once they've made their decision." What Itsuki said sounded fair enough, and everyone in the room nodded along.

"You mean I need to go it alone?"

I was stuck with a shield! If I didn't have a party to travel with, how was I supposed to get stronger?

"Sir, if it pleases you, I could serve with the Shield Hero." One of the women with Arif raised her hand to volunteer.

"Hm? Are you sure?" the king asked to clarify.

"Yes."

She was cute and had shoulder-length red hair. Her face was pretty too. She was relatively tall, just a little shorter than me. When I looked at Arif, I saw him watching her with a strange expression. It was subtle but I felt like he's staring at waste disposal. How could he look at a cute girl with that kind of stare?! Outrageous!

Well, he was certainly the oddest amongst us. I only hoped that he wasn't gay since he seemed to be disinterested in those women.

"Are there any others among you that would throw your lot in with the Shield Hero?"

…No one moved a muscle. The king sighed heavily.

"Excuse me, Your Grace." Arif raised his hand suddenly, gathering our attention.

"Yes? What's it?"

"Let Naofumi have the rest of who have volunteered to be my companions. Like I said they will only drag me down."

"Then, you are going to be alone?" The king narrowed his eyes at Arif.

"Yep."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep."

"However, you are still weak now. What if some unforeseen accident happens?"

"I can take care of myself."

"Really? Would you show it to me, then?"

Arif sighed resignedly as if he'd expected this. He spoke, "Very well, then."

Ren, Itsuki, and I looked at Arif blankly.

Well, I was thankful he gave me his volunteers, but I didn't want him to venture this strange world alone in spite of having knowledge from his game.

"Wait, Arif!" I called out to him.

"What is it?" He looked at me disinterestedly.

"You don't need to do that. I am sure that they can be helpful to you. One volunteer is enough for me."

He shrugged casually and spoke, "I have made up my mind. If they don't want to go with you, they better go back home. Trying to find a prospective husband that can raise their house's power, perhaps? Besides, I don't want to get into trouble because a bunch of noble's daughters trying to play heroines and get killed later on."

So, he was already aware that this wasn't a game, unlike Ren and Itsuki. But, he still insisted to go alone. He was courageous or simply didn't care. I was not sure which one he was.

In addition, I saw the girls around him flinch as if an arrow struck their heart because of Arif's words. I guess Arif had hit a bullseye with his words alone, huh? He actually had the sharpest tongue amongst us.

"If you say so…" I decided to stop since he already set his mind on this.

I watched the girls around him and saw their despondent expression. I held the urge to flinch from that. Man, what a waste…

Those girls were cute. Not as cute as the one who volunteered to be my companion but still above average.

Soon, we made a space for a small spar between Arif and the king's chosen champion. He was a knight in full body armor. He had an obnoxious mustache. Arif watched him contemplatively as if he knew him from somewhere. I guess he knew about this knight from his in-game knowledge.

As an aside, the knight's level almost reached LV 40.

"Prepare yourself." The king informed the combatants but sounded disinterested like the usual.

The knight prepared his sword, which looked like it had been blunted for this occasion. He seemed relaxed. When I saw Arif, I saw a small frown marring his handsome face.

"Are you looking down at me just because I am still level one?"

Arif's question caught the knight off guard. The knight turned in the direction of the king, asking what to do. The king had lost his disinterested expression and watched Arif with a calculative glance.

"Go all out," he simply told the knight, who nodded in return.

Then, the knight and Arif took a stance. The knight looked ready with his stance. Meanwhile, Arif twirled his spear in a flourish before taking a low stance like a runner, his spear behind him. His usually deadpan expression now was decorated by a small, playful smile. His eyes narrowed and held the intensity that they lacked normally.

Arif looked enjoying this immensely. What was it called? A battle junky, yeah? So, Arif was a battle junky, huh? I wonder if he had fought with a spear before. He looked like he understood what he was doing with his spear. Maybe, he joined spear club or had an official match with one before?

Either way, the tension became palpable in the room. I unconsciously swallowed my saliva. It was so tense that I was affected by the atmosphere. Yet, I couldn't deny that this standoff looked so damn awesome!

"You know," Arif suddenly remarked, "Spearmen have two roles in a war."

Hm? What did he mean by that? By the way, was that what they call pre-battle banter?

"First is cannon fodder. Spear or pike is easy to use but hard to master. Even more so than a sword, a bow, or a shield. Even a beginner can use it for smashing or stabbing. But, in the hand of a skilled user, it can be a deadly weapon. A skilled spearman, however, has a role to cause untold havoc in the front line."

He crouched a bit lower and suddenly, I felt something pressing down my shoulder. I felt sick and wanted to throw up. Sweat drenched my back and the shiver crawled up and down my spine. Even Ren and Itsuki looked affected by this… Whatever this was. So, I was not the only one who sensed this… malevolent presence?

Just what was this? Who could bring such a malevolent presence? Did Arif cause this? Just what's up with him?! There was no way a man from peaceful modern earth could project this kind of intent!

"Do you know what is the most important stat for a skilled spearman?"

"S-Speed." The knight stuttered. He had a stiff expression and gazed at Arif warily.

"Good. Remember to not blink." Arif sounded playful and gave a king a glance, who nodded shortly.

The king looked impressed as he looked at Arif.

"Are you two ready?" The king asked both combatants.

"Anytime, your Grace."

"Y-Yes, your Grace."

"Then, start!"

Right after the king announced that Arif disappeared from his spot and reappeared in front of the knight. The pointed tip of his spear was only an inch away from stabbing the knight's forehead. The knight had become petrified and ashen-faced and sweat rolled down his forehead and cheeks. His armor was ratting as his body shook in terror.

But, how? How could Arif move that fast? He was still LV 1, right? Yes, he was! Was that some kind of skill?

"Told you so…" Arif remarked playfully and tapped the knight's helm.

The knight dropped down on the ground, and he looked like several years of his lifespan had been shaved from what happened. Well, I kinda felt for him. What happened was as scary as hell.

Arif turned in the king's direction and gave him a pointed look.

"The winner is Spear Hero." The king nodded with a small, impressed smile, "Very well, then. You have shown your mettle and I allow you to go alone, Mister Arif."

"Thousands of gratitude, your Grace." Arif bowed. His face had returned to the usual deadpan.

However, I wouldn't get fooled. He was actually scary as fuck. Just what the hell was he? Was he a kind of psychopath? I was both curious and scared of him, a sentiment that Ren and Itsuki shared if their stiff expressions as they looked at Arif was any indication.

"So, it seems the adventurers who chose to join the Spear Hero can have two choices. Either join the Shield Hero or other heroes. Now, choose!"

However, the girls went to Ren and Itsuki — one for the former and two for the latter. They didn't want to join me because I didn't know my way in this world, huh? Well, at least, I had the cute red-haired girl with me. Better than nothing, I guess.

"I suppose there is no way around it. Shield Hero, you'll have to recruit others to accompany you while you are traveling. Each month, I will supply all of you with the necessary funds for your journey, though in compensation for today's events, Naofumi's first payment will be higher than the others."

"Y…Yes, sir!"

It seems like a fair resolution. If no one wants to work with me voluntarily, I will have to find people to help me.

"Now then, Heroes, I have set aside these funds for you. Please accept them."

Attendants placed envelopes in front of each of us.

I could hear something heavy and metallic rattling inside the packages. A peek inside revealed a rather large money pouch.

"I have set aside 800 pieces of silver for the Shield Hero, and 600 pieces for the rest of you. Spear Hero, you won't have a problem with this, right?" Arif shook his head shortly and the king continued, "Please take these funds and begin your journey."

"Yes, sir!" We, the heroes, and our new companions, all answered in unison.

Each of us made our obligatory bow of gratitude before backing out of the audience chamber. Once we were all out of the room, we made our introductions. It looks like nobody dared to get close to Arif and I could empathize with them…

What happened was scary as fuck. I think that I couldn't face Arif without being afraid of him after this…

"Um, so it's nice to meet you, Mister Shield Hero. My name is Myne Suphia."

"Pleasure."

She didn't seem to be very shy, and she spoke without reservation. With all that was going on, I suppose I forgot to mention that she was the girl who agreed to come with me.

I believe in taking care of your friends. Especially considering that, according to everyone I'd met so far, I had been dealt a losing hand. On top of it all, Myne was a girl, and I was the Shield Hero. It would be up to me to protect her.

"Very well then, let's get going, shall we? Ms. Myne."

She smiled and nodded before following me out of the throne room.

* * *

**Thank you for reading the first chapter. What do you think? I know it started at the same time with the beginning of the canon, which was kinda cliché because all SI RotSH started at that point, but if I gave him more time to prepare himself, the main character would just have trampled everything in his path with the power-leveling. Remember that he has two powers, RPG System and the blessing of the world as the Spear Hero. His growth will be faster than the other Holy Heroes due to that.**

**Now, I would say that I'm proud to write the first Spear Hero SI. Usually, the SI will be either one of the other three. I feel like the holy spear lacks love from the fan of RotSH in this site. My other reason to pick out the Spear for this new story is that the nature of heroes the spear chose. After taking a look into each heroic trait of the Holy Heroes supposed to represent, each one certainly holds one aspect of heroism in spite of being twisted one. I alluded it to the question of A ROB in the beginning.**

**Spear hero is supposed to be the parody of the Knight-in-shining-armor, so it is twisted into an unrepentant womanizer. And I have a desire to write smut with a plot, so here this goes. As you might have guessed, this story is going to diverge from canon swiftly.**

**For the members of MC's harem, it's going to be secret for now, but I would give you a little spoiler about two of them: the spirit of Holy Spear whose appearance is based on a character from Type-moon, and an OC whose character based on a character from another franchise.**

**I suppose that's all. Now, review!**


	2. 1-2: Preparation as the Spear Wielder

**Wow… Those were a boatload of reviews for the first chapters. Thanks. I truly appreciated them.**

**Unfortunately, I couldn't reply to all the reviews because of the limited times and space I had. So, I would like it if you don't mind my decision to reply to only some reviews that I considered "must" be answered.**

**All that aside, to the review's replies!**

_**Topic**_**: the Base character of the Holy Spear's spirit. **_**Answer**_**: people seemed to love Cu's Shishou so much, huh? Well, I am too, as a matter of fact. But, whether I would use her or Artoria for the base or not, it's secret for now. Just wait patiently until then…**

_**Topic**_**: The OC in the harem. **_**Answer**_**: you'll discover a glimpse of her physical characteristics in this chapter.**

_**Topic**_**: MC's appearance. **_**Answer**_**: Diarmuid of the Love Spot from Fate/Zero without the beauty mark and had red eyes instead of yellow eyes.**

_**Topic**_**: MC's stunted emotions. **_**Answer**_**: for now, he will stay like that. But, he would recover his ability to feel emotions normally. As an aside, Gamer Psychology didn't numb his emotions. It only blocks any intense, crippling emotions.**

_**Topic**_**: Spear from other franchises. **_**Answer**_**: he would copy them when he went to those worlds in his quest for godhood.**

_**Topic**_**: scavenging mats in the slave trader's place. **_**Answer**_**: you'll find it out in this chapter.**

_**Topic**_**: Extra Part of the stories. **_**Answer**_**: I put it so the reader can see through other character's perspectives. This story is MC-centric, meaning it'd follow MC's perspective all the time. Hence, the Extra part. As an aside, I wouldn't always put Extra part in every chapter.**

_**Topic**_**: update schedule. **_**Answer**_**: weekly. This one is an exception.**

**For the rest, thank you for your kind (and some unkind) reviews. It motivated me to write this story.**

**Now, please enjoy this chapter.**

* * *

**Volume 1: Chapter 2: Preparation as the Spear Wielder**

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 1—**_

That had gone rather well. I had expected Aultcray to pull out that stunt and thankfully, he appointed someone who hadn't Classed Up yet. As of now, the permanent buffs from the mastered Weapon's Forms and the effect of Body Modification allowed me to be on par with someone around LV 50s. And I was still LV 1.

In addition, the mastered Spear Mastery gave me an intuitive feeling about wielding a spear. I guess it was how the genius in a certain field feels about their advantage over common rabbles. Whenever I formed a wrong stance, I would feel mild discomfort from the wrong stance. It felt so natural.

However, the main reason for my explosive speed was a form's unlocked ability that I'd synthesized to the Holy Spear's default form. The ability called Speed Boost that raised my SPD explosively for a short duration of time. It consumed (Huge) amount of SP, but it was quite a useful ability to have. Well, I was certain that I could lower the consumption in the future.

What's more, I had shaken the will of that knight captain with the intense bloodlust that I projected. Thanks to mastering Battle Intent that I learned right before the fight. I had mastered it immediately to give me more edge in a fight. That was why I was bothering myself with a pre-battle banter. A fight was only half physical and the other half of it was psychological. Still, I preferred to end something wasteful like that in the blink of an eye.

Speaking of that poor knight captain, he looked like the knight captain who commanded the fire magic attack that rained down the Lute Village in the Second Wave in the series. That one who was almost getting stabbed on the face by Raphtalia. His traits, mostly his mustache, matched that Knight to a T. But, of course, I could mistake it. Thus, I kept my opinion to myself.

In addition, I had tested out that my body could still enjoy the thrill of a fight, just as enjoying the taste of delicious food that I ate at breakfast. the other three heroes, the chefs, the attendants, and the knights were awestruck when I inhaled those amounts. Even I, the one who was eating, was mildly surprised by my body's capability in taking in foods. I guess it was the effect of Gamer Physiology. That digression aside, the feeling of blood pumping in my veins, the rush of adrenaline, and the drumming of my heartbeat… Yeah, all was good.

Feasting and Fighting were crossed off the mental list that I had. What left was Fucking. I only hoped that I could enjoy it too.

Too bad that those girls who volunteered to join in my party were useless in a fight. The one who seemed to be able to fight properly was Malty, or Myne Suphia as she introduced herself for Naofumi, and she was pretty indeed. The prettiest girl that I had ever met yet. Alas, she had a rotten personality and was a fragment of that godlike alien woman at the end of the web novel.

That aside, the three women who initially wanted to join my party had split up between Ren and Itsuki. Elena Haven, the short-haired brunette who ended up becoming a merchant in the web novel joined Ren. Meanwhile, Lesty and another one with a horrid personality comparable to Malty joined Itsuki. I guess Itsuki's future as the clown was set now.

Speaking of the other heroes, they now were wary of me after my stunt, and I could understand them somewhat. I wouldn't be surprised if they thought me as a psycho, but I didn't mind them and their thoughts about me.

Now, I was going to visit the Church of Three Heroes and I hope that it was the first and last time I stepped into that place. Thanks to Map, I could navigate my way in this Castle Town.

But, first, I needed to leave the castle.

There was a drawbridge strung between the castle and the town. Crossing it, I got my first real view of the town. Granted, I'd gotten a little glimpse of it from my jaunt last night, but it was different because it was so dark in so early in the morning. Of course, I didn't have problems seeing something because of my mastered Night Vision. But, it was different from the scenery on the day.

Standing there now, in the middle of it all, I really started to feel the difference. The cobblestone streets were lined with stone buildings, many of which were furnished with wooden signs. There were delicious smells wafting from many directions at once.

I wasn't drooling. No sir! I had eaten my share from breakfast. But, well, since Gamer Physiology made me unable to feel stuffed, I didn't mind to visit some restaurant.

"Yup. Let's try out local cuisines first." I made up my mind aloud and left for the restaurant that the Map marked.

As I made my way in the busy street, I was aware of the glances that were directed to me by the passersby. It was due to my massively boosted Charm, but I ignored the attention that I gathered and continued my way toward the first restaurant that the Map marked.

As an aside, the Holy Spear had transformed into a simple Iron Spear. It looked less gaudy that way, and the only eye-catching thing of the spear was the red gem that wouldn't disappear in spite of transformed.

Entering the building, I saw the interior could be better. Restaurants on Earth were cleaner than the ones in this world, but it might be due to the level of civilization that stuck in the medieval era. I guess I shouldn't compare the interior of this world's restaurants with the castle or the restaurants on Earth.

Regardless, I made my way to an empty table and sat down calmly. I rested the holy spear on the table, next to my chair. I didn't need to wait long for the waitress to come.

She was a cute girl with wavy brown eyes and green eyes. She was wearing a light-colored long-sleeved dress and a dark brown skirt under an apron. She was around Itsuki's height. Overall, she was eye candy.

"Welcome, Sir. Would you like to order something?" She asked, a sweet smile on her face.

In addition, her healthy colored face was slightly red and her eyes were looking at me dreamily.

I guess my boosted charm is the reason why she looked so full of admiration as she looked at me.

"Hmmm…" There was no menu to pick out. Well, whatever… "Could you bring me the specialty of this place? For the drink, I would like to have fruity water."

"O-oh, o-of course, sir!" She woke up from her daydream and was flustered due to her blunder. "Please wait for a few moments, sir. Your orders will be ready soon."

"Yup. I will anticipate it," I lied smoothly. For someone who couldn't feel strong emotions like me, waiting wouldn't bore me that much.

With that, the waitress swiftly left for my order. I looked around and noted the sparse customers. Perhaps, it was due to the time. It was too late for breakfast and wasn't the time for lunch yet. I guess it was good that I could enjoy the calm ambiance as I ate my meals. Nobody liked being bothered when they were in the middle of eating, after all.

Still, I was mildly annoyed at the Shadow that kept tailing me. It was the same shadow that tailed me last night and the one who hid behind one of many pillars in the audience chamber before my fight. She was labeled as Shadow of Three Heroes Faith, so she was the one tasked to watch me by the High Priest.

There was also another shadow and the label in Mini Map was Melromarc Queen's Shadow. I guess this one was Mirellia's.

As I waited for my orders, I decided to open up the Status Window and then start fiddling with the Holy Spear interface. Thanks to the memory that I refreshed last night, many canonical strengthening methods were unlocked.

I focused on the "Job Assignment" method and remembered a certain fanfiction that I had. I glanced at the Holy Spear contemplatively…

…

**Please pick out a Job for the Holy Spear!**

…

So, it succeeded, huh? I swiftly skimmed the choices and picked out one that I liked. The Job was called "Sentient Weapon" and it gave "Unlock Sentience" at Lv 1.

Job's LV needed XP to level up just like Classes. It looked like Job had a maximum of ten levels before I could pick out a higher Job.

The Job system reminds me of the Racial Level and Class Level systems from Overlord fictional story written by Maruyama. It was an amazing piece of work, and I couldn't help but wonder if I could visit the Overlord world in the future. Well, that was a topic for later on.

After equipping the Job on the Holy Spear, I could sense its, no, her feelings now. However, her emotions were very limited and… primitive? Yes, the feelings were primitive. Even so, I sensed raw affection from the Holy Spear. It was directed to me.

If I was still the old me, I would feel flustered from being a subject of such raw, unfiltered emotion.

"I guess I need to name you, huh?"

I whispered at it and sensed the Holy Spear's curiosity.

"A name is how you are referred to."

The confusion that the holy spear projected was deepening.

"I want you to be you, not just a regular Holy Spear owned by any Spear Hero. There were many Holy Spears and Spear Heroes before us. Hence, I want us to be special."

I sensed the Holy Spear's understanding, then joy from my wish, and then a demanding desire to me. I guess she was impatient for her name, huh? Okay, then…

"How about Yaris? It comes from "Yari," a Japanese word for "Spear," and "S" from the first letter of "Spear." Sounds feminine enough for me."

The Holy Spear projected a feeling of deep contemplation before agreeing happily.

"Then, it's nice to meet you, Yaris. Let's do our best from now on, forever and ever."

The Holy Spear, no, Yaris projected strong agreement and joy.

I wasn't ashamed by my shameless wish to develop Yaris into a sentient holy weapon that can transform into a female humanoid form. Who didn't like the idea of a badass, sentient weapon that could transform into a cute girl? Having a sentient weapon that could transform into a cute girl is a romance! All cultured men like me would agree with this desire of mine without wasting their time to think!

Arata Kasuga from Trinity Seven had Sora the Astil Manuscript and Illia the Illias Fragment, both were Magic Grimoires that could transform into cute girls.

Black*Star from Soul Eater had Tsubaki Nakatsukasa as his weapon. There were also other female characters who could transform into weapons in Soul Eater.

In Arpeggio of Blue Steel, freaking battleships and submarines had their manifestation as cute girls. It was like Kantai Collection.

And don't let me start with Valkyrie Drive: Mermaid… A cute girl turned into a weapon for a fan service… Just WTF, man?!

All that aside, I wondered what kind of appearance Yaris would take later on. I felt mild anticipation for the future.

Soon, the waitress returned and I stopped my low-voiced exchange with Yaris.

She came with a tray in her hands. On the tray was a couple of plates with what appeared to be some kinds of steaks and vegetables. There was also a wooden mug filled with fruity water.

"Please, enjoy!"

"Oh, sure, I am, sweetheart." I decided to a bit flirty with the waitress, smiling faintly at her.

The effect was instantaneous. Her face flared red and she raised her wooden tray to hide that. Her green eyes moved everywhere but to meet mine.

"T-then, please excuse me, sir." She bowed and hurried to the kitchen.

I blinked innocently at her quick retreat, mildly amused by her strong reaction. I suppose having (Extra Large) boost for Charm was cheating. Also, I sensed Yaris' perplexity from what happened. Oh, well, moving on. It's time for the so-called specialty of this restaurant.

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 2—**_

"Thank you for your patronage, Sir."

The waitress sent me off with a sad face on her face. It looked like the waitress, who was actually the daughter of the restaurant's owners, crushing on me.

If I discarded my remaining moral, I would happily have some fun with her before discarding her because she didn't match my conditions. But, I still had my moral and I didn't want to ruin someone's daughter and her future.

I might be an unfeeling person because of my condition, but I wasn't a heartless, amoral monster. I still had my senses of right and wrong.

By the way, I think I had gone overboard with my meals. It cost me around twenty silvers. Normally, a couple of dozen bronzes were enough to buy meals to stuff someone's stomach, but not me.

If I looked back, I would see a tall tower of stacked up plates on my table. Yeah, I had overdone it. Though, the owners, a married couple in their 40s, looked happy from my excessive eating. Of course, they would happy; they got money from that!

Regardless, I made my way for the clock tower. It was finally time to visit the Three Heroes Faith HQ. I had returned Yaris to her default form when I neared the clock tower.

The clock tower was visible from most of the town, but the closer I got, the higher and higher it seemed to grow. There was a large building, something like a church with a domed roof, and the clock tower extended from the top of the dome. The doors to the building were open, and people come and go as they please.

My arrival gathered their attention. They would look at me in awestruck fashion. There were even people who lowered their posture in a deep bow. I suppose my Holy Spear was a giveaway of my status as one of the four summoned heroes.

No, from the perspective of the Three Heroes Cult believers, there were only three heroes and one demon.

I ignored them and entered the church. There were women dressed as nuns, and they shot me awed glances, their hands tightly grasping their Three Holy Weapons pendant. My Sense Intent has picked their feelings of… Worship and infatuation. Well, they were the believers of three heroes that weren't Shield Hero, so it was understandable that they had that reaction in the presence of the figure of their worship and belief.

"Would you be Your Holiness, the Spear Hero, correct?"

A young nun inquired politely. She seemed torn between joyful and humbled as she had the honor to talk with one of the three heroes.

I had a realization that these believers of the Three Heroes doctrine seemed more fanatic than what was portrayed in the series, but I shook off those thoughts quickly. As long as they didn't give me problems, I wouldn't make their life hard or send them to their maker.

Still, being worshiped, huh? I would have become so flustered and uncomfortable from their fanatical worship if I was my old self.

"Yes. I need to connect to Dragon Hourglass and get some red sands of it," I explained my reason for visiting this place.

"Well then, please follow me, Your Holiness."

She led me deeper into the church, and there in the center was a giant hourglass.

It looked to be around seven meters tall. It was covered in detailed decorations that lent the whole thing a holy, mystical feel. Its appearance matched the anime version of the Dragon Hourglass.

As I looked at it, I noticed this instinctual, powerful shock of emotion running through my body. However, my mind was still calm, having a discrepancy with the reaction of my body.

The sand was… red. It was streaming down in silence. I could tell that it had some time to spare until the next wave hit Melromarc.

I heard a high-pitched beep, and a beam of light shot out from the Holy Spear to illuminate a jewel that was affixed to the center of the hourglass.

Then, a small clock appeared in the corner of my HUD.

There were days left. I waited a moment and, sure enough, the last digit changed to a lower number.

Well, I already knew how the Dragon Hourglass worked as the Wave Timer. However, there was something that I wanted to know about it. The details of the Dragon Hourglass was vague in the series.

I spent some time to inspect the Red Sand Hourglass of the Dragon's Era with Gamer Sight and discovered its true nature. It was an ancient relic. Or to be precise, it was a magic item that connected to Dragon Pulse underground to work. Its abilities to warn everyone of the Wave appearance and to Class Ups anyone were tied to the mystery of the Dragon Pulse.

So, it looked like the Dragon Hourglass wasn't the only thing that could break the level cap imposed on this world's population. No, it was just a magic item that replicated the effect of a certain lost Dragon Pulse Ritual to unlock Level Cap. However, it could only unlock the first level cap at Level 40 or higher for some unique individuals. The knowledge to unlock LV 100 Cap, LV 150 Cap, and so on was lost because of some stupid Reincarnators.

"Excuse me, Sir." A sweet voice called for me, taking my focus away from the Dragon Hourglass. "Here is the red sand of the Dragon Hourglass you have requested."

The previous young nun has returned with a beautiful glass bottle on a tray. The interior of the bottle is red, indicating the red sand of the hourglass is kept inside.

I accept the bottle after another nun who accompanied the first one uncorked the lid. Then, I pour the red send into Yaris' gem. She immediately absorbed the materials and informed me of a new unlocked form — Dragon's Era Spear.

I open up the Dragon's Era Spear's details.

…

**Dragon's Era Spear (R) 0/35**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0%**

**Weapon's Status: 25 Attack: 50 M. ATK**

**Unlocked Ability: Portal Spear: Allows teleportation to a marked waypoint. Limited to 6 people, the user included: Consumption (Small)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: SPD +5**

…

With that, my business in the Church of Three Heroes concluded. I left for a magic shop. As an aside, I was glad that I didn't meet the High Priest.

I had a plan to sell some magic ores that I had mined last night to raise my fund. As of now, I only had 580 silvers, which was equal to 5 golds and 80 silvers.

Soon, I arrived in the best magic shop in Castle Town. The magic shop's owner was the rotund old lady from the series, the one who gave Naofumi the magic tome and helped him harvesting the magic ore to create Filo's dress. The shop's interior looked the same as the one in anime.

I wouldn't bother you with the transaction, but I had successfully increased my fund to 15 golds and 31 silvers. In addition, there were some interesting discoveries when I was there.

First of all, I had asked her to test my magic affinity and we discovered that I had all affinities. She seemed shell-shocked before stating it was probably natural because I was the Legendary Spear Hero.

But, well, the RPG System was the reason why I had all magic affinities and when I asked it, the system answered positively.

The second one was…

…Blip!

…

**Skill Book: Beginner Ritual Magic: Found!**

…

**The Skill Book allows you to learn Faust, First, and Second Spells of Ritual Magic.**

**Do you wish to learn the skill? Yes/No**

…

"Huh?" I unintentionally made a stupid sound as I looked at the pop-up window.

I remembered that in some Literature RPG inspired by The Gamer Korean Comic had the concept of Skill Books that allowed the main character to learn skills from those books, but I never thought that my cheat would allow me to do the same. Thus, my surprise and confusion — in spite of being very mild — were understandable.

"What's it?" The old lady was perplexed at my sudden odd reaction.

"Ah, nothing…" I gave her a swift reply. But, inwardly I wanted to know how it worked.

I subtly checked out the Help function of the RPG System.

It looked like a Skill Book was a certain book with a written procedure to learn something. Such a book allowed the system to scan the content and create a skill from the subject written inside.

Fortunately, nothing would happen to the book since the system only scanned the information inside.

I started to contemplate the ramifications of this information and idly felt the corners of my lips curl upward.

Wasting no time, I selected "Yes." Then, I sensed a new knowledge about Beginner Ritual Magic cropped up in my mind. The list of Faust, First, and Second spells also appeared. It felt like remembering old forgotten memory. Nothing bad happened from the phenomenon. Not even a mild headache.

…Blip!

…

**Beginner Ritual Magic: learned and mastered**

…

**Intermediate Ritual Magic: unlocked**

…

**Intermediate Ritual Magic: 0% Mastery**

…

I felt my lips stretching out into a wide grin.

"Are you really fine, Spear Hero Sir?" Worried, the old lady asked me, jolting me awake from my thoughts.

"Ah, yeah, sorry. So, what kind of Magic Tome is this?" I feigned my obliviousness.

"This one is about Beginner Ritual Magic."

"Is that so? Do you have other Magic Tomes?"

"Well, allow me to check out first."

The shopkeeper left and returned with several thick tomes. I touched each one and flipped the content. I was offered to learn the magic from each tome…

…Blip!

…

**Skill Book: Beginner Enchantment Magic: Found!**

…

**Skill Book: Minor Status Enchantment: Found!**

…

**Skill Book—**

…

I accepted the system's offer and learned several useful magic from the tomes.

"So, would you like to buy the magic tomes, Sir Spear Hero?" The shopkeeper asked after I put the last tome.

"Well, it seems like I'm unable to understand this book. Holy Weapon's Translate power just covers hearing and speaking it seems…" I replied with a straight face.

"Is that so? Perhaps, you would visit again after you can read this land's language?"

"Probably," I gave a curt reply and a short nod.

I didn't lie but I wasn't being really honest with her. I didn't even feel guilty from ripping off the mage lady. Some heroes I was…

I looked at the crystal ball on the desk. It was supported by a purple pillow. I remembered about it.

I was tempted to buy one or two Skill Orbs, the crystal ball in which a skill was sealed. But, I decided against it because I remembered that the Castle would purchase every Skill Orbs in Castle Town for the Holy Heroes, excluding Naofumi. I guess I would get my share later on.

"I guess that's all. Thank you very much, madam."

"Oh, no! Thank you, Sir Spear Hero. You just helped me with my magic ore stock. With that, I didn't need to restock for a while. Besides, you gave me lower than the market price. You truly helped me out."

I just smiled faintly at her.

That was everything that happened in the magic shop. I left the magic shop with nothing physical. The commission for the old lady's service was deducted from the payment of the ores. At least, I still gave her something.

Finishing my errand in the magic shop, my next destination was the weapon shop and I picked out Erhard's place because he was the one who created that badass barbarian armor set for Naofumi in the series.

The man's skill was unquestionable. The only blacksmith who surpassed his skill was his master, the Q'Ten Loan pervert who was tasked with the creation of Anti-Spirit, both Holy and Vassal, Weapons.

I had asked Yaris to transform into a plain Iron Spear. I had forgotten asking her to do that after leaving the Church of Three Heroes.

As a matter of fact, I felt mild discomfort form being labeled as a hero. I was self-conscious of my flaws, I wasn't suitable to be a hero.

Be that as it may, I finally arrived in front of Erhard's shop and accidentally met Naofumi and Malty who just walked out of the building.

It looked like they had bought some equipment from Erhard's shop. Naofumi was wearing chainmail above the black skintight suit that he wore in the series. Malty still wore the same equipment she had when she appeared in the audience chamber.

Naofumi immediately put his guard up, just as Malty. They were cautious of me, but the other emotions that I sensed from them were different. As I expected, I felt fear, distrust, and a tiny amount of guilt from Naofumi. I didn't blame him when he had those intents. It was understandable that he was afraid of me after the stunt that I pulled in the throne room.

"Yo, Naofumi."

"Ah, Mister Spear Hero Sir." Malty greeted sweetly, but I ignored her and focused on Naofumi.

I caught her reddening face for a brief moment. Her true character had slipped out, but she quickly schooled her expression and showed her sweet mask.

She was angry for being dismissed so casually even by a hero. But, I liked to keep our distance as far as possible if I could help it.

"H-hey, Arif." Naofumi returned my greeting stiffly.

He had missed Malty's slip because he was focusing on me too much. Too bad, then.

His expression said that he would like to be everywhere but in my presence.

I didn't take his action to heart. I spoke, "You are scared of me. Fine, then."

He looked ashamed yet still guarded. I shrugged him off and walked into Erhard's place. Also, I sensed the guilt that Naofumi was feeling rising up sharply. It seems like he felt guilty for fearing me and keeping his distance away from me.

Well, Naofumi was a very kind and good guy in the beginning, and such a reaction from him was utterly normal.

Meanwhile, I sensed Malty's negative emotions and deep contemplation for me.

So, the Bitch was probably having no-good intentions for me already, huh? Well, I suppose I could knock her out and keep her inside Inventory later on. For now, I needed her to break Naofumi's naivety.

My old self wouldn't even dare to think such a cruel plan, but I truly needed Naofumi to be broken down and then rebuilt up for what was waiting for us in the future. If he kept being too naive and so trusting, he wouldn't become the badass shield bro in the series.

The Canon-Naofumi's bitterness helped him to grow strong and his paranoia kept him alive for long. So, allowing him to be falsely accused of a crime that he didn't commit was the lesser evil.

Furthermore, I had some plans that would turn me into a good guy in his mind after his betrayal. I needed him to be trustful to me even when he was angsty as heck.

Be that as it may, I finally entered Erhard's weapon shop. It looked like the same with the anime. And, I saw Erhard standing behind the counter.

I'd always thought that Erhard was similar to Agil from Sword Art Online series. But, whatever… Erhard looked like African-American to me and he had a tall and bulky figure.

"Welcome," he greeted me amiably and skimmed my clothes and Yaris, "I guess you're one of the summoned four heroes, yes? The Spear Hero to be precise."

I guess this was very late, but Gamer Mode also included my clothes in its effect. So, my clothes didn't get dirtied last night.

"I take it that my clothes gave it out," I replied and returned Yaris to her default form.

Erhard watched the transformation in interest and nodded distractedly. A few moments later, he returned his focus on me.

"Sorry for ignoring you like that, Mr. Spear Hero. The Holy Spear took my attention. So, is transforming one of the Holy Spear powers?"

"I could see that, and yes."

Erhard looked at me up and down and spoke, "You feel different from the Shield Hero. Like you know what you're doing. You feel powerful too."

I blinked my eyes in a slight perplexity and spoke, "Is that so?"

Erhard was sharp. He could sense that I was quite strong in spite of being LV 1. It was thanks to strengthened and mastered forms and the Body Modification that I was this strong.

"Yes," Erhard nodded shortly. "So, do you need armor too?"

"About that, I want to discuss a trade with you."

"Oh?" Erhard raised his brow and leaned forward in interest, "What kind of discussion is this?"

"Well, you see, Holy Weapons has a power called Weapon's Copy and I am certain you can guess what this power does from the name alone."

Erhard's eyes became very sharp at my honest confession. "Then?"

"You see, I know you're the best blacksmith in this Castle Town. Your completed apprenticeship under a certain skirt-chasing blacksmith from Q'Ten Lo guaranteed your product."

"How did you know that? Weren't you from another world?" Erhard asked, perplexed.

"I don't know if you know this or not, but the summoned heroes normally know some information about this world."

"Ah. Yeah. But, the Shield Hero…" Erhard paused briefly and nodded as if he realized something. "I guess the rumor that the Shield Hero knows nothing about this world is true, eh?"

"Actually, I'm sure that… Never mind."

Truth be told, Naofumi should have known some information about this world from the record of four holy weapons. But, he decided to ignore it because he believed that the information from that book isn't something he should use to dictate his life in this world. He thought like that because he was prudent and believed that this world was a real world.

But, he would be more careful if he used his limited foreknowledge about this world. Then again, the pre-betrayal Naofumi was too naïve and a very optimistic person. It was a good trait to have, but it wouldn't help him in this world. Hence, as cruel as this sounds, I wanted him to break and become the post-betrayal Naofumi for his own good.

All that aside, back to the present.

"I want to pay up for potent spears you have forged. How much do you want me to pay for each spear?"

"Hmmm… Three-fourth of the normal price." Erhard started the bid.

I became mildly annoyed at that.

"Give me a break. You still have the weapons with you. How about one-twentieth of the regular price."

Erhard's brows twitched at my low offer.

"Kiddo, those so-called potent weapons were hard to create. Half of the regular price."

"You can still sell it to other people. One-eighteenth."

"Aren't you pricing my skill too cheap despite knowing my skill with weapon forging, kiddo? One-fourth."

Erhard's face now was set on stone, but I sensed that he wasn't really angry. Just annoyed at my audacity.

"It's not like I'm insulting your skill, but I have low money with me. One-sixteenth."

"Then, you can copy some first and do the rest another time. One-sixth."

"It would be a long time before I can return back to Melromarc Castle Town. I plan to power-level my way all the time until the next wave. One-fourteenth."

"I would think about it if you also buy a set of armor and other camping supplies. You're going to be busy in the wilderness, right? One-eight."

"Sure. I can do that, but I also have another order for you besides that. What's more, I'm not trying to rip you off by proposing this deal. The other heroes, the Shield Hero excluded due to his lack of foreknowledge, would just copy your stuff without paying up for your skill. One-twelfth."

"Take it or not."

"Fine. One-tenth."

While Erhard was annoyed by my haggling, I was mildly amused when I recalled that haggling was going to be Naofumi's shtick later on.

"Alright, then. I'm going to take my best products. All spears. About your armor, any preference?" Erhard finally straightened his posture from the counter.

"Something with good mobility since I'm a spearman. If you have one, bring a set around one gold."

"Okay. Wait for a few moments, kiddo."

"Yep."

Erhard left for the room beyond the door behind his counter. I decided to wait for him and thought about something.

Soon, Erhard returned with seven spears. Each one looked badass and when I checked their information, I discovered that each one was a high-tier spear. Two of them were actually a set, and I wondered if Yaris would be able to unlock a form that gave me dual-wielding skill or something similar.

"Here." Erhard placed the spears on the counter. "You wouldn't mind if I watch the process, right?"

"I don't mind. By the way, old man…"

"I'm not that old, am I?" He cut in, irritated.

"Whatever… How much are copying these?"

"If." He pressed the word, "If it is like you said and nothing happened to my goods, then it's one-tenth of the regular price. So, they are going to be…" Erhard paused and did quick math in his mind, "Seven golds and ninety silvers."

If I was any other man who could feel emotions properly, I would flinch at the price. It was quite a big sum in spite of being discounted. The normal price would be seventy-nine golds, enough for commoners in this world to live comfortably for several years.

In addition, it was above the heroes' stipends from the royal treasury of Melromarc.

I soon grabbed one spear in one hand and grabbed Yaris with another. It was the cheapest one in the selections and I knew that due to Gamer Sight. Erhard was watching me and his spear like a hawk watching its prey. I would become nervous if I could sense my emotions normally. But, I digress.

…

**Griffin's Claw Spear: copied: locked!**

…

So, it was copied but still locked because I didn't meet the conditions, huh? I guess I must reach a certain level to be able to use the copied form.

"Are you finished?" Erhard asked when I carefully placed the spear on the counter.

"Yup," I replied and he quickly inspected his spear. In the meantime, I checked out the details of the newly copied spear.

…

**Griffin's Claw Spear (R) 0/45 (Locked)**

**Condition: Spear Hero LV 40**

…

That was a quite high level to unlock the form.

I then copied the rest and checked out their details after unlocking the form.

…

**Wind Dragon's Fang Spear: copied: locked!**

…

**Wind Dragon's Fang Spear (R) 0/55 (Locked)**

**Condition: Spear Hero LV 48**

…

**Dark Dragon's Bone Spear: copied: locked!**

…

**Dark Dragon's Bone Spear (UR) 0/65 (Locked)**

**Condition: Spear Hero LV 70**

…

**Storm Spear I: copied: locked!**

…

**Storm Spear I (R) 0/50 (Locked)**

**Condition: Spear Hero LV 35**

…

**Storm Spear II: copied: locked!**

…

**Storm Spear II (UR) 0/75 (Locked)**

**Condition: Spear Hero LV 76**

…

**Fire Dragon's Claw Twin-Spear: copied: locked!**

…

**Fire Dragon's Claw Twin-Spear (R) 0/35 (Locked)**

**Condition: Spear Hero LV 30**

…

After placing Fire Dragon's Claw Twin-Spear on the counter, Erhard had gone and returned twice, the first one with a pile of clothes and light armors, and the second one with camping supply. He had left after checking out the Griffin's Claw Spear's condition and found nothing wrong with it. I would have been touched by his trust in me if it wasn't because of my mental state.

I checked out the sets one by one. There were four sets in total. After a few moments of choosing, I picked out the set called Forest Blessing Set and asked Erhard about the price.

"How much are these?"

"That, eh? One gold and forty silvers."

I deadpanned at him. Gamer Sight told me that the price was ten silvers less and it was including the commission of crafting the entire set. As an aside, camping supply was only five silvers. There were five silvers extra.

I realized what Erhard was trying to do. He was trying to pay me back from before. I felt that he was feeling sore from what I did, but he should be glad that I didn't just copy his items and left without paying up his things.

Perhaps, what I did seem hypocrite because I did that dine-and-dash action at the magic shop, but this and that was different because that old lady didn't write those books herself. She just bought them and resold them. However, Erhard was creating these spears from scratch.

"I know what are you doing. At least, lower it by a silver."

"Oh?" Erhard didn't even look sheepish, yet he still showed an intrigue by my request. "Why?"

"I'm going to round up my total money."

"Fine. I lower the price by one silver."

"Alright, then. I'm going to change now."

I went to the change cubicle in the room and changed my old clothes into the equipment set. I only kept my socks and underwear. That underwear was Gildan Underwear that I'd bought for $3,00. It was so damn comfortable and kept my dick in its place. The rest, consisting of a gray jumper, a white T-shirt, faded black jeans, and a pair of sneakers, were kept inside Inventory. They were a memento of my old life.

My reason for picking up Nature Blessing Armor Set was because it made me look like Diarmuid of the Love Spot from Fate/Zero. However, the color was a bit miss. The upper garment was light green and the pants were dark green. The lone shoulder guard was glimmering silver instead of dark-colored one like that Lancer's, just as the breast protector that Diarmuid didn't have in his Lancer's outfit. The protective pads for thighs were reddish-brown.

I only needed to style my hair to match his and added a beauty mark under my eye to look closely like him.

Well, it was the first reason. The second reason was the set's details. They were like this…

…

**Nature Blessing Set: Medium Quality**

**Enchantment: Blood-Clean, Auto-Repair, Auto-Refitting: MP Consumption (Medium to Huge)**

**Equip Bonus: HP Up (Small), HP Recovery Up (Small)**

…

The other sets had the set's bonus that was mostly focusing on the increase of Attack and Defense. This was the only set that gave a bonus for HP and HP Recovery.

I walked out of the changing room and tried to move around. It felt strange, but not bad, I suppose. The sensation was mild, but I could feel giddiness from wearing this new set of equipment.

"Hey now! You're starting to look like a real warrior, kiddo!"

"Thanks."

"So, is there something else that you need?"

"About that… Could you give me some woods, water, and writing tools?"

"Huh?" was Erhard's perplexed answer from my strange request.

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 3—**_

"This place looked like how it appeared in the anime, huh?" I remarked faintly.

I was currently in front of a big tent that looked like a circus tent. I was in front of the Slave Trader's tent.

It was located in a back alley, which was filled with an alarming number of scruffy, dangerous-looking people. The air was filled with aggressive shouts and the sound of fragile things breaking. More than anything, it smelled terrible. It was sometime around noon, but there was no light where I was.

My appearance was hidden under an enchanted cloak that I bough from Erhard. I learned Hide skill from equipping it and mastered the skill using some leftover points from Proficiency.

As an aside, I needed to stockpiling my proficiency soon. My stockpile almost drained away from all the skills that I must master today.

I had lost all my tails; the Shadows of the Queen and the High Priest. Yaris was currently stored inside Inventory, and this would be the first time I did it. I hoped that the Holy Weapon system wouldn't punish me for this…

Entering the tent, I was stopped by a heavy-looking door. Looks like I must call the Slave Trader. He was very careful indeed. In addition, I discovered some shadows in my Mini Map, one from Q'Ten Lo and one looked like the guard of this tent's owner. For the former, she was someone who was tasked to watch Raphtalia.

After knocking the heavy door, it opened with a loud clank and I saw who I wanted to meet from the other side.

He was in a silk hat and coattails. He was a strange gentleman by any measure: absurdly obese and furnished with polished glasses. He didn't seem to fit the world, which was much more like the Middle Ages. So he stuck out dramatically from his surroundings.

When I saw his appearance in Anime and Manga, I thought he was funny. But, the real-life version was very creepy.

"What do you need, sir?" He asked, grinning creepily. However, I sensed his caution.

"I want to buy a slave and a monster egg from you."

"You come to the correct place, sir. Please enter."

I entered the place and followed the Slave Trader deeper into the tent.

The interior was dim, and the smell of rot hung faintly in the air. I also smelled animals. It didn't seem to be a very nice place. There were a number of cages in the room, and human-like shapes moved within them. I ignored my discomfort from the place and focused on the Slave Trader.

"So, what do you want to see first, sir? The monster egg or the slave, sir?"

"Slave first," I answered curtly.

"What kind of slave do you need?"

"Oh? Do you need something, sir?"

"Show me the cheapest one. Around thirty-five silvers."

"Thirty-five silvers, yes? Then, follow me."

He led me somewhere and soon, the room was filled with the sound of crying children. I looked around and saw cages filled with children and older demi-humans. They looked miserable. The Slave Trader continued to lead me along until he suddenly came to a stop.

"This is the cheapest slave I can offer you today, sir."

He was pointing to a group of three cages.

The first had a man inside, though he also had the ears of a rabbit, and one of his arms was twisted in an odd direction. He looked to be somewhere around twenty years old. He looked like the dictionary definition of a slave.

The next held a girl of around ten. She was unbelievably skinny, and her eyes looked terrified. She was coughing. She also had dog-like ears that were tied up around her head. She appeared to have a large, round tail as well.

The third cage held a lizard man whose eyes darted about the room violently as if he was just looking for someone to kill. He did seem more like a man than a lizard though.

I ignored the first and third cages. My focus was set on Raphtalia's terrified eyes.

"How much is that raccoon-type demi-human?"

Raphtalia flinched at my inquiry.

"Her? She is 30 silvers."

It was like what I knew from my foreknowledge.

"She seems to have severe issues."

"These are all I can offer you in your range. If we lower the bar even more then… Well…"

The Slave Trader glanced quickly to the back wall. I followed his gaze.

I could tell, even from far away, the smell of death. That smell in the air at a funeral, it was strong, and it was coming from that direction. It also smelled like rot. If I was any normal person, I'd get sick just looking in the direction.

I checked Mini Map, and discovered something interesting…

…

**Slave: LV 21**

**Race: Demi-Human (Fox-type/Human Hybrid)**

…

I became curious about the fox-type demi-human who was left rotting in that place. It was a female slave, dying. Her life was drained slowly with each passing second. My interest was piqued because of her high level and her race.

Recalling something from my memory, I found out the fox-type demi-humans, the female ones, were considered the most attractive demi-human.

Her high level indicated her status as an adult.

"Someone is still alive in that place."

"Yes? Well, I remember that yesterday I… dispose of a slave with very bad conditions."

"How bad is it?"

"Well, you see, sir. She is a sex slave who got inflicted by diseases. It was already too late to cure her, and only something like sacred medicine can cure her of her infections. However, that medicine is too expensive and a mere slave isn't worth to spend one. So, I decided to discard her there because she is already beyond saving."

So, she got infected by STD and was dying. However, I was certain that Gamer Mode, even the limited one, could save her from her precarious predicament. If push comes to shove, I just needed to kill her so she could respawn again.

Toward someone in utter despair and slowly entering the jaw of death, if I gave her hope, she would become obedient, loyal, and devoted to me. In addition, she was a sex slave and should have been experienced in the sexual field.

I didn't mind her background as a sex slave. I wasn't some pansies who only accepted virgins as his love interest. No, I was quite open-minded. Additionally, I only wanted to use her to see if my body could experience sexual pleasure just like the pleasure of eating and fighting. If, by a chance, I was unable to feel sexual pleasure, I would turn her into a fighting force instead.

"How much is she?"

"Excuse me, sir?" The Slave Trader sounded perplexed.

"How much is that dying woman?"

"That is…" The Slave Trader looked uncertain, so I pressed on.

"I wouldn't ask for a refund if she died later on. Just tell me how much is she."

"Ah. Very well, then. Since her condition is bad and she is dying, I guess… she is only worth around six silvers."

It looked like her price was only five silver. As an aside, one silver was enough to cover the registration ritual.

"Very well, I buy her and the raccoon-girl. I will collect that dying woman myself. You don't seem very keen to go there yourself."

"Of course, sir. Who wants entering that kind of place…"

"By the way, you won't mind if I clean up that place, would you?"

"Why?" I could sense the Slave Trader's perplexity, but I didn't want to explain my action to him.

"I have my own reason. Stop asking questions."

"As you wish."

I left for the source of the rotting smell. Soon, I viewed what the back wall was hiding. It was very horrible to look at. For once, I was very glad about my stunted emotions. If I was any normal person, I would have recoiled and thrown up from the bad smell and disgusting, terrible view.

It looks like the slaves discarded there were thrown in a big hole just like that. I saw many rotting corpses of this world's various sentient races; humans, demi-humans, and beastmen.

The flies were buzzing noisily. The maggots were feasting on the corpses. The smell stabbed my nostrils painfully. I realized that my face had twisted in disgust before my mind could register the change.

However, I endured the disgust and walked up to the only living person in this hell hole. I recognized some corpses of monsters too. There were also remains of monster's eggshells.

I suddenly got an idea and summoned Yaris from Inventory. I could unlock many forms using everything in this place.

I sensed Yaris' confusion because she found me in this kind of place. It was understandable since the time inside Inventory was frozen. Yaris remembered that we were in a dark, empty alleyway before I stored her inside Inventory.

As an aside, it looked like the Holy Weapon system didn't punish me from storing Yaris inside Inventory. I guess the RPG System was more powerful than the Holy Weapon system and it stopped the Holy Weapon system from punishing me. Whatever the case, I was glad that I wasn't punished. I might be apathetic to most things, but I wasn't a masochist who relished pain inflicted on me.

"I need you to absorb all the materials in this place. Carcasses and all."

Yaris was confused by my instruction. Regardless, she projected her agreement through her primitive emotion.

I didn't really care if the Slave Trader's shadow was currently watching me. Sooner or later, the Slave Trader would know about my identity.

"Before you do that, I need to complete something first." I stopped Yaris from absorbing all corpses and remains in this disposal pit.

I walked up to the dying fox-type demi-human's location, stepping on the rotting corpses beneath me. I made a mental note to clean up my boots before I left this place.

Soon, I stood next to the dying fox-type demi-human. Being so close, I could see how miserable her state was.

She was so skinny that she looked like just bones and skins. Her blond hair was disheveled and dirty. Her breasts were sagging like deflated balloons and her ribs could be seen on her shriveled skin. Her sunken green eyes were lifeless, full of despair and resignation. Wounds festered some parts of her body. The fur on her fox ears and tail had fallen, showing pale skin with festering wounds.

No wonder the Slave Trader discarded her there. She was really beyond saving and only a miracle medicine like Yggdrasil could save her. But, who would waste a precious medicine for a mere slave? Unless the master was someone who truly treasured the slave, they wouldn't dare to spare such a precious medicine. But, I digress.

I couldn't check out her status and information because of her high level. Well, I would get into it later on.

"Hey, you. I know that you're still alive and can hear me. I can help you, giving you a new life."

Somehow, I felt like the devil side in "a deal with the devil" reenactments.

The woman's green eyes moved slightly, looking at me. Only from her eyes alone, I could see she was really broken. I guess life hadn't been very kind to her.

"But, your freedom will be the price. You will become mine forever. Your body, your mind, your everything… All will become mine. Do you accept this deal?"

I idly wondered if this was A R.O.B's perspective when they offered me a chance to live again in that void.

That aside, I saw a slight movement from the woman. She nodded so faintly that it was almost unnoticeable.

"Very well, then. You're now mine."

I used a simple Telekinesis, an attribute-less Ritual Magic, to raise her body from the filth below her. Then, I used it to get rid of the maggots aggravating her festering wounds and shielded her from the flies. I cast several Faust Heal and Cure spells to stabilize her condition.

"Do it!" I instructed Yaris after stabbing her into the pile of corpses under me.

And so, Yaris began absorbing everything into her gem. At the same time, countless notifications that informed me of new unlocked forms assaulted the Notice Box.

I left Yaris doing her thing. The hole looked deep and the corpses and other things filling up this hole were receding. I decided to wait for Yaris from the edge of the hole.

I sensed someone was watching me and looked down.

The woman's green eyes had a hint of life in them. They were still weak, but they were looking better than the lifeless eyes that I initially saw.

"Now, sleep. When you woke up, everything will be better."

I used beginner illusion magic on her to put her into a sleeping state. I was tempted to add her to the RPG Party immediately, but I decided to wait after the registration ritual.

I covered her emaciated body with a spare cloak that I bought from Erhard's shop. This one was only a normal cloak.

Soon, Yaris completed her task. As an aside, below the piled-up corpses, there were skeletons of various races, even monsters. Yaris had absorbed them too and unlocked some forms from those materials.

Yaris floated back to me and I stored her in Inventory again. I got rid of the stench that stuck on me and my future slave, I turned around and left the disposal hole behind.

I met up with Raphtalia and the Slave Trader. I spoke, "I have finished. That hole has been cleaned up."

Raphtalia was looking at the woman in my arms with a wide, horrified look. Her hands were covering the lower part of her face.

The Slave Trader grinned creepily and nodded. He didn't speak out my identity if he had discovered it. I guess he knew how to act professional or he knew that I disliked meaningless talk. Then, he produced a key and opened Raphtalia's cage.

She stepped out, and he put a collar around her neck. She let out a yelp. I looked at her, quivering in fear, and felt mild pity for her and anger for the Slave Trader, but I squashed it.

When the Slave Trader was going to take the girl away, I stopped them.

"Wait."

"Sir?" The Slave Trader sounded perplexed.

I then whispered something in his ear. I was trying to be careful so the Shadow from Q'Ten Lo wouldn't overhear my words for the Slave Trader. However, Raphtalia was sure listening to us due to our close proximity and her sharp hearing.

The Slave Trader was grinning widely.

I walked up to Raphtalia and used Faust Heal to make her physical condition better.

Afterward, I pat her head. She turned red at my action. She didn't seem to hate it, truth be told.

"Alright. Let's go."

"Of course, sir."

The Slave Trader then pulled her behind us as we returned to the street we came from, though he was being careful without harming Raphtalia.

We then exited the circus tent and were in the alley again. He called for someone who appeared immediately, the shadow that protected and assisted him. They were carrying a jar that appeared to be full of ink. They transferred a little ink to a small dish and pushed it in my direction.

"Please give us a little blood. Then the slave registration will be complete, and she will be yours."

I nodded and pressed a pen-knife into the end of my finger. Of course, the blood that welled up was nothing but for aesthetic purposes. Yet, it was still my own blood. I waited for the blood to well up enough and then let a few drops drip into the small dish. One of the men dipped his brush into the liquid and then painted the magic onto her chest.

The pattern on her chest began to glow, and I suddenly noticed a flashing status icon in my HUD.

…

**Slave acquired: conditions of use as follows:**

…

A window opened, and it was filled with conditions.

I quickly skimmed through them. Then, I set the conditions to the lowest minimum: no betraying me in any kind of shape.

Also, a pop-up window appeared outside of the slave menu, so I looked into that.

…

**Registering this character as a member of the RPG Party? Yes/No**

…

I picked out "Yes" and my new slave was registered as my first RPG Party Member. Also, I saw a timer under her Character's ID and Gauges in my HUD.

That timer told me how long I needed to wait until her condition fully restored.

"Now this slave is yours, Sir. Your payment, please."

"Sure."

I gave the Slave Trader a piece of gold coins.

"You've overpaid, sir."

"For the ceremony, taking care of her until then, and one monster's egg that I will buy later. Also, I want that ink that has been mixed with my blood."

"…You are very wise."

If I paid up-front, it made it hard for him to say anything about it afterward. I'd like to see him try to get more out of me now.

"Very well then. You've helped me clear out my stock and clean up the disposal pit, whatever you have done in that place…"

"By the way, can I check out that monster eggs lottery now."

"Of course, sir. You may!"

I looked at the monster eggs inside the box, using Gamer Sight to find out what egg it was.

It looked the same as the lottery from which Naofumi obtained Filo's egg. I then picked out one. It wasn't a Filolial's egg, though. What I took was the so-called jackpot of this lottery.

"I look forward to your future visits."

"Sure," I replied halfheartedly.

After receiving a small bottle with the ink mixed with my blood and the egg inside an incubator, I started to walk off and carried the sleeping slave in my arms. I turned my back on the circus tent.

"W-wai…HAAANGH!" I stopped and looked back when I heard the scream of a familiar voice.

I saw the Slave Trader was fiddling a small crystal ball in hurry, trying to stop the punishment. Then, the scream stopped.

"N-Name… Your name, sir. Please!" Raphtalia asked between her pained gasps.

"Arif."

"W-who are you, Mister Arif?"

"Ask your future master. Until then, be silent and don't create any problem for the Slave Trader."

Raphtalia clamped her mouth and put her small hands on it, nodding her head furiously.

I turned around and walked ahead. My slave was sleeping soundlessly in my arms. I had a plan to store her into Inventory after I arrived in an empty location.

As I walked away from the Slave Trader's tent, I could feel Raphtalia's gaze on my back, but I ignored it.

There was a mild regret from giving Raphtalia to Naofumi just like that, but I needed Naofumi to be strong. Also, I realized that I was a bit presumptuous, but there was no way Naofumi wouldn't accept it, right?

After all, he needed all the help he could get and he wasn't stupid.

Naofumi was naïve, but he wasn't stupid.

Well, Naofumi, I hope that you wouldn't betray my expectations later on. After all, I had given you an amazing girl like Raphtalia when I could take her for myself.


	3. 1-3: Growth and Party of the Spear…

**Heh… looks like you guys didn't like how Arif bought and presented Raphtalia as a nice little gift for Naofumi. Understandable. In our perspective, Arif was the main character and this was his story. And readers mostly wanted a winner MC. Since he was the main character, it was normal for you wanted him to get Raphtalia.**

**When I read your review nitpicking my decision, I wasn't frustrated nor angry. On the contrary, I was happy and… tickled. Happy because it meant you read my story and tickled because you all raged before you read a twist that I prepared. Well, you need to wait for the next chapter to read this twist. But, you probably already guessed it from this note.**

**Anyhow, the first member of MC's harem was based on Haruhime Sanjouno from DanMachi. Congrats for you who had guessed it correctly. Her name would come out in this chapter.**

**Then, there was the "mysterious" Nasuverse character whose appearance would be used for the Spirit of Holy Spear. It hadn't been cleared up yet. You thought it would be Scathatch or Arturia the Lion King, but, well, there was a hint of her appearance in this chapter.**

**I didn't find any reviews with questions that I must give a reply to, so there wouldn't be any review's reply section. However, you reviewers still have my gratitude for reviewing this story. Thank you very much.**

**By the way****, this chapter is another bonus. I posted it to reply to your "disappointment" for MC's choice in regard to Raphtalia.**

**Now, enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

**Volume 1: Chapter 3: Growth and Party of the Spear Wielder**

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 1—**_

I left the Slave Trader's tent and walked up to an empty and dark alleyway, ignoring the thugs that watched me from afar. I was carrying my new slave in my arms, her bony figure covered by the cloak.

When I arrived at my destination and was sure that nobody was around, I quickly stored her into Inventory. I could do that easily because she was unconscious.

After marking the empty alleyway as a teleportation point, I used Hide Presence and swiftly left the Castle Town.

In regard to Hide Presence… It looked nothing much at the beginning. It only gave the user the ability to lower their presence so that the user could hide well and better. But, when this skill was mastered, it gave a very broken effect that erased the user's presence to the point of being "a part of the world."

The user of the mastered Hide Presence could erase their presence, which was kinda obvious, their smell, their movement's sounds, and everything else that could give away their existence. They literally became a ghost. Alas, it wouldn't allow pass through a solid object like the real ghost or "Spirit Form" of Servant in Nasuverse.

I would be happy if that happened. But, it looked like I couldn't get everything in spite of having a broken cheat like RPG System.

That aside, back to the topic of Hide Presence. Only the user of mastered Sense Presence could perceive the user of the mastered Hide Presence, and I didn't think even the most skilled Shadow in Melromarc had mastered Sense Presence. That was why I could evade the spying and detection of the Shadows of the Queen and the High Priest with contemptuous ease.

Populations of this world needed years of hard work, efforts, and resources to master a skill. And I was cheating to master a skill, using the combination of RPG System quick skill mastery and Holy Weapon's Skill Mastery Up method.

All that aside, back to what I was doing. Upon exiting the castle town, fields of grass extended in every direction. There was, at least, a cobblestone road meandering over the scenery, but once we left the town, it seemed like the world was nothing but green and green and green. It was different from the metropolis that I lived in before my death.

Now, standing out in the open in my "ghost-like" state, I unconsciously enjoyed the fresh air. My emotions might be stunted due to the stay in the void, but my body could enjoy the fresh, unpolluted air around me, just like when my tongue savored the taste of delicious foods and my body enjoyed the thrill of a battle. I spent a few moments immersing in the beauty of the untainted nature.

Also, I found the party of the other heroes within the Mini Map's range of effect.

Looks like they were busy power-leveling. They were very diligent indeed.

Well, they needed to be diligent because they didn't have the RPG System like me.

There were also Shadows of both the Queen and the High Priest tailing and watching each hero and their party. They had an easier task than the Shadows who were tasked to follow me. Well, those Shadows were unlucky. I was very slippery once I mastered Hide Presence. But, I digressed.

"I need to go to an empty place. There are many things to do," I spoke to myself.

I quickly went and entered the forest not far from the castle town. After arriving at my destination, I opened up Map function and checked out the map of this world. I focused on Zeltoble because I had a plan to go there.

Why Zeltoble? I recalled that Zeltobe's Seven Star Hero was killed by Takt Arusahorun Faubley. Furthermore, that Reincarnator had stolen the Vassal Weapon from the dead body of its previous wielder. I had checked out if there was a Vassal Weapon in Zeltoble and found nothing. With that, I had the assurance that nobody would find out that I was the Spear Hero when I visited Zeltoble.

However, it wasn't my true reason for picking out Zeltoble, but the absence of the Vassal Wielder had its own importance for my plan.

I had a plan to use the Dragon Hourglass of that country to give my new slave a level reset. Why did I have that plan? Because I wanted her to obtain the full benefit of being Holy Heroes' companion. Then, I would use Growth Elevation when she reached her Level Cap, resetting her level to LV 1 once again.

Doing that was similar to power-level her to the Level Cap twice, but her overall stats afterward would put everyone at the same level to shame.

I could carefully slip into the building that the Dragon Hourglass was kept and used it subtly. I was confident that mere assassins, even the skilled Q'Ten Loan Shadows wouldn't be able to track me. Since there were no Vassal Wielders, I was guaranteed to succeed it.

Holy and Vassal Weapons were the only things that managed to perceive my hidden presence because they were able to sense Yaris. Not me.

Well, I was uncertain about the Peerless Transformation Art Practitioners. Since they dabbled in the life essence, there was a chance that they could perceive my hidden presence via my life essence. However, only that Granny, Elrasa, who could use Peerless Transformation Art. There were no Peerless Transformation Art Practitioners in Zeltoble. Not even as slaves.

As an aside, I was also uncertain if the Echolocation of Sadeena and Sildina could perceive my hidden presence or not. But, I didn't dwell on it. I could find out the answer after I met them later on.

As an aside, Sadeena was in Zeltoble, already hunting the slaves from Raphtalia's village. Meanwhile, her little sister was still in Q'Ten Lo.

I closed the Map and opened up Inventory. Before I went to Zeltoble, I must take care of several things first. First of all, I summoned Yaris from Inventory. I sensed Yaris' confusion and then exasperation when she discovered that we were in another different location. The last time, she found herself in a disposal pit of the Slave Trader.

Ignoring the antic of the sentient Holy Spear, I collected the bottle that I obtained from the Slave Trader from another panel of the Inventory and poured the content into Yaris' crimson gem. I received several notifications, informing me of the new forms that Yaris unlocked.

…

**Slave Trainer Spear: conditions met**

…

**Slave Trainer Spear II: conditions met**

…

**Slave Trainer Spear III: conditions met**

…

**Slave Trainer Spear IV: conditions met**

…

Okay… I felt mild confusion when I also unlocked Slave Trainer Spear Mk. III and IV. I recalled that Naofumi didn't unlock Slave Trainer Shield Mk. III and IV in the series… I sunk deep in thought, contemplating the reason and soon, I had a certain realization.

In the series, Naofumi was only using normal ink. He didn't use the ink that was mixed with his blood. I guess the ink with the hero's blood needed to unlock the Mk. III and IV of Slave Trainer Series. With the puzzle answered, I dropped the matter and focused on the next one.

I already knew the information about unmarked and Mk. II of the Slave Trainer Series from my refreshed memory, so I only checked out the details of Mk. III and IV.

…

**Slave Trainer Spear III (U) 0/25 (Unawakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0%**

**Weapon's Status: 30 Attack**

**Ability: locked**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Slave Growth Revision (M)**

…

**Slave Trainer Spear IV (U) 0/25 (Unawakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0%**

**Weapon's Status: 30 Attack**

**Ability: locked**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Slave Stat Correction (M)**

…

Stat Correction and Growth Revision, eh? It was similar to the Equip Bonus of the Beast Tamer Shield Mk. II and III that Naofumi unlocked in the series. The former was unlocked by allowing the Holy Shield absorbing Filo's normal feathers and the latter, Filo's white and pink colored feathers.

This discovery made me realize that I didn't need to hurry up to Zeltoble and used that country's Dragon Hourglass to give my new slave a level reset. I could strengthen these forms to the maximum limit so the effects were better.

I could easily strengthen them because of the loophole that I found and had been abusing.

With that, she would have the same status as if she joined me from LV 1 when she hit her Level Cap. Or maybe, even before that. There was also the chance that her status would develop far better than regular people.

However, I must strengthen my Slave Trainer Series first.

With that, I transformed Yaris into Clay Spear and began digging a hole. But, I stopped when the hole reached a 2-meter depth and swallowed my figure.

I realized that I would face a bit of a problem when I needed to leave this hole if I kept digging like this. It also gave away my whereabouts if a Shadow accidentally passed by the hole. The Shadow in question would surely connect the dots because of my stunt last night.

I watched Yaris' Clay Spear form contemplatively, ignoring my Holy Spear's confusion because I just stopped like that.

"I wonder if you can unlock a form by absorbing another element like wind…"

…

**Holy Weapon's Regulation**

**A Holy Weapon develops according to its owner.**

…

Yaris replied with the template message saved in Holy Weapon's system. Since Yaris told me that, I guess I must believe it to happen, huh? Fine. Let's try it out!

I left the hole and asked Yaris to absorb the air around me. I convinced myself that Yaris could unlock something from absorbing wind. It was like a self-hypnotism. And it wasn't hard with my mental state. Granted, it was easy to believe something even if ever without proof when I didn't even hesitate about anything.

…

**Aero Spear: conditions met**

…

**Aero Spear (C) 0/10 (Unwakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0% (unmastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 25 Attack**

**Ability: locked**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: SPD +1**

…

It was a successful attempt. When I tried the new form, Yaris transformed into a short spear. Its color was cyan. Why cyan, though? Why not green? Well, whatever…

I decided to try with lights next…

…

**Photon Spear: conditions met**

…

**Photon Spear (C) 0/10 (Unwakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0% (unmastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 25 Attack**

**Ability: locked**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Stamina Recovery Up (S)**

…

Another success.

Yaris transformed into a platinum-colored short spear when I tried the unlocked form. It was even gaudier than the default form of the Holy Spear.

I thought the spear would have a dark color, but it looked like it tried to match the theme of the material that unlocked the form. Well, whatever…

Ignoring its excessively ornated appearance, I decided to absorb the photons around me. The gem was glowing brightly, but it wasn't enough to alarm the Shadows and other heroes and their party members about my location.

Whenever my surroundings darkened, the photons from other areas would flow toward my area, brightening it again. It kept repeating in a cycle. I decided to sit down and let Yaris absorbing the light to fill up Photon Spear's proficiency.

In the meantime, I opened Weapon's Transformation List and checked out the Forms that Yaris had unlocked from absorbing the remains of disposed "wares" of the Slave Trader.

Other than some "X" Bone Spears, the "X" indicated the name of a monster's species, there were also "X" Trainer Series; the "X" indicating the target of the spear's effect.

That Series had a similar effect with the Slave Trainer and Beast Tamer Series. But, I focused on Human Trainer Spear and Fox Demi-Human Trainer Spear. Since my new slave was a Fox-type Demi-Human and Human hybrid, she would obtain the passive effect of these two spears.

In addition, there was the Slave Trainer Series, and if the three Weapon's Forms were strengthened to the limit and mastered, my slave would get the three times Growth+ (XL).

Now, I mildly anticipated her status when she hit her first Level Cap.

After some time, I finished strengthening the Slave Trainer Series, Aero Spear, Photon Spear, Human Trainer Spear, and Fox-type Demi-Human Trainer Spear. I checked out their details.

…

**Slave Trainer Spear +10 (AF) 0/125 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery:100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 450 Attack**

**Ability: Unavailable**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Slave Growth+ (XL)**

…

**Slave Trainer Spear II +10 (AF) 0/125 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery:100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 475 Attack**

**Ability: Unavailable**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Slave Condition+ (XL)**

…

**Slave Trainer Spear III +10 (AF) 0/125 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery:100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 500 Attack**

**Ability: Enslaving Spear: Enslave target with a regular Slave Seal: SP Consumption (M)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Slave Growth Revision (XL)**

…

**Slave Trainer Spear IV+10 (AF) 0/125 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery:100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 525 Attack**

**Ability: Enslaving Spear II: Enslave target with an advanced Slave Seal: SP Consumption (L)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Slave Stat Correction (XL)**

…

**Aero Spear +10 (AF) 0/75 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery:100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 575 Attack**

**Ability: Aerokinesis: Control wind within a 100-meter radius at will: SP Consumption (S)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: SPD +5**

…

**Photon Spear +10 (AF) 0/75 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery:100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 625 Attack**

**Ability: Light Beam: Shoot destructive beam that delivers 5x M. ATK: SP Consumption (M)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Stamina Recovery Up (XL)**

…

**Human Trainer Spear +10 (AF) 0/110 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery:100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 475 Attack**

**Ability: Racial Boost (Human): Boost the status of human race allies for a limited time (S): SP Consumption (S)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Human Party Member Growth+ (XL)**

…

**Fox-type Demi-Human Trainer Spear +10 (AF) 0/110 (Awakened)**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery:100% (Mastered)**

**Weapon's Status: 475 Attack**

**Ability: Racial Boost (Fox-type Demi-Human): Boost the status of fox-type demi-human allies for a limited time (S): SP Consumption (S)**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Fox-type Demi-Human Party Member Growth+ (XL)**

…

I was mildly joyful because I could passively and massively increase my new slave's power as they leveled up. It was impossible for her to be weak with the permanent Equip Bonuses of the Trainer Series.

The Aero Spear… it just turned me into a parody of Aang from Avatar the Last Air Bender. Should I cosplay as him, shaved my hair bald, and painted a blue arrow on my bald head? Nah, I had settled with cosplaying as the Lancer of Fuyuki's Fourth Holy Grail War, Diarmuid the Love Spot. Besides, I wouldn't look cool if I cosplayed as Aang.

Between a legendary spearman and a monk, the former was more aesthetically pleasing.

As an aside, the small consumption of the Aero Spear's ability was due to the second time strengthening. The first strengthening of the Aero Spear had been focused on the Equip Bonus. I had drained it with the Body Modification method, hence the "SPD +5" written in the info in spite of its strengthening. The first strengthening gave me an additional 75 SPD. The second strengthening was focused on the unlocked ability's consumption, lowering the consumption to "Small."

Lastly, the Photon Spear. Even though I couldn't go full "EKUSU~KARIBA~" on my opponent, at least, it allowed me to "Spear Shining at the End of the World — Rhongomyniad!" my enemy to death.

Who said only Sabers could shoot a beam of lights towards their opponent? Some Lancers could shoot a destructive beam too, y'know!

Overall, it was very productive indeed.

Now, it was time to do something for my pitiful slave.

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 2—**_

I collected my new slave from Inventory. I felt an almost unnoticeable pang of pity when I saw her physical conditions.

Keywords: almost unnoticeable. I could ignore it easily. She didn't need my pity. What she needed was my help.

It looked like I needed to wait for another seven hours for her Gamer Physiology to fully restore her to the tip-top shape, unlike my Gamer Physiology who always kept me at my best.

For your information, I had checked out the differences between our Gamer Mode and discovered that the "limited" label wasn't for the show.

Unlike my Gamer Mode that made me like a RPG's Character, my party member's Gamer Mode gave them very limited benefits. They could only respawn once a day and they would permanently die if died the second time in the same day; their body still functioned normally albeit they could restore it to the tip-top shape after 8 hours sleep; they only received mental protection but otherwise was still the same psychologically; their Gamer Sight only displayed Status of someone whose LV below theirs.

All the digressions aside, I needed to wait for several hours until she was fully restored.

Now, it was just a bit over noon. Seven hours later would be night. Those amount of time could be used productively. We could go for power-leveling or bonding.

I could kill her and let her respawn. It was the most logical action, but I rejected that idea. In spite of my apathy, I didn't want to do it. Not to my party member or someone that I had acknowledged being mine at least. I was trying to protect the last humanity that I still possessed.

It was bad enough that I wanted her because I wanted her to be my sex slave, a tool for giving me sexual gratification. I didn't want to treat her lower than she already was… If I could help it.

I suppose I could treat her well in spite of my stunted emotions.

Yup. I was gonna just do that!

I decided to use Faust Telekinesis to make her float next to me. Then, I began my power-leveling.

Thanks to many passive and immense boost for my Max MP and MP Recovery, using that spell wasn't even draining. My MP Recovery was higher than the amount the spell took from my Max MP.

I used the Map's Search function to the fullest.

The first monsters that I faced off were Mushrooms. It was the same one from the anime. If I wasn't emotionally stunted, I would have been disturbed and amazed when I saw an oversized mushroom with eyes, mouth, and strange color.

Defeating them was hilariously easy. There were eight Mushrooms; three were LV 5, three were LV 6, and the rest were LV 7 and LV 8.

I obtained 480 XP and 48 bronze coins. Then, the system asked me to assign the XP.

At this point, I discovered some interesting discoveries. It looked like I could put the XP assignment on hold. Also, I could take the XP Gains of my party members for myself.

I decided to assign all XPs for my Secondary Class: Spear Hero.

I appointed 10 XP to raise to LV 2, then 20 XP to LV 3, and so on. I was now LV 9.

After leveling up twice, I obtained 200 Status Points and assigned them for Parameter Status evenly. It looked like I obtained 25 Status Points every Level Ups.

Yaris' Sentient Weapon Job didn't level up because the XP was appointed for my Spear Hero Class. Fortunately, Yaris didn't seem to have problems with it. She was just happy for me because I became strong.

She was very eager to please. What a good girl…

Speaking of Job Assignment, I hadn't assigned a "Job" for myself and my slave yet. I suppose I could do that later.

I told Yaris to absorb the remains of the Mushrooms and unlocked Mushroom Series.

…

**White Mushroom Spear: conditions met**

…

**Green Mushroom Spear: conditions met**

…

**Blue Mushroom Spear: conditions met**

…

I checked out the unlocked form's details.

White Mushroom Spear had Plant Identification as its Equip Bonus. Useless. Gamer Sight was better.

Green Mushroom Spear had Beginner Compounding skill as its Equip Bonus. Well, this one was better.

Blue Mushroom Spear unlocked Beginner Compounding Recipe I.

There was no status boosting Equip Bonus. They didn't seem to have the unique ability too.

I changed Yaris into Green Mushroom Spear and found the form was amusing. It had a wooden shaft and the tip looked like a dick. No, I guess it was a green dildo.

Yaris felt mortified by that. She also projected a strong reproofing feeling at me.

…

**Beginner Compounding: learned**

…

I received the notification. Then, I changed Yaris back to her default form after learning the skill, much to her relief. We continued our hunt, afterward.

I killed the monsters for their XP and Yaris absorbed the remains for unlocking new forms. I learned the skill of forms by equipping the forms for some time. I also minded my distance from the party of the other heroes and their Shadows.

Time passed by and the blue sky turned into a pretty mix of yellow, vermilion, and indigo. Dusk finally came.

The other heroes, their parties, and the Shadows tailing them had returned to the castle town some time ago. I, however, decided to settle next to a stream with a nice flat rock on it.

By the way, I was LV 23 Now. Yaris' Sentient Weapon Job was LV 9, and I had assigned a Job for myself. The Job was Enchanter, and it was similar to Yaris' Job Level.

Anyone would find it strange that I power-leveled my Class, my Job, and Yaris' job so fast. There were two important factors that helped me to do that.

Firstly — The RPG System had something called Growth Stabilizer.

Strictly speaking, the population of this world had a hard time for power-leveling because of the harsh requirements of leveling up. Not only the XP Gain from killing monsters was low, but after they leveled up, they needed to kill more monsters to level up.

Let's use an example to make clear this case. Killing LV 1 monsters would provide someone at LV 1 with 1 XP. But, after this person leveled up to LV 2, it looked like the XP Gain was reduced to one-tenth. The XP Gain became decimal, but it continued on; LV 3 person would get one-hundredth of XP, LV 4 obtaining one-thousandth of XP, and so on.

If someone's LV was very high, they would gain XP in the decimals that it didn't even if ever matter unless that person killed a hundred thousand or, maybe, even million of weak monsters to make it worth.

Growth Stabilizer of the RPG System prevented this "unfair" regulation that the world imposed on everyone — even the Holy and Vassal Heroes. Thus, even if my party member's LV had become very high, killing LV 1 monster still gave them exactly 1 XP. There was no decrease.

In addition, Growth Stabilizer affected XP required to Level Up. The XP required to level up of myself and my party members didn't follow the "unfair" growth curve of this world.

For example, when I was at LV 10, I needed only 100 XP to level up. According to the Growth Curve of this world's level system, I should have required more than that, hell, even thousands of XP, but the RPG System set the XP required to Level Up according to its regulation. It also affected the "Job Assignment."

The RPG System lived up to its "cheat" status.

Secondly — The Holy Heroes and their party members obtained the blessing of the world in the shape of 10x Growth. This blessing wasn't listed in the status of the party member but could be seen from the insane growth speed of the individual in comparison to the regular people who weren't in the Holy Heroes' party. This growth correctional effect didn't increase stat gain, but it increased XP Gains from killing a monster.

Looks at Raphtalia's growth in the series. In the span of a short time span, Raphtalia had leveled up quickly in comparison to normal people who spent a long time to raise their levels. Normal people, however, needed a long time to reach the first level cap at level 40, but the Holy Heroes' party members reached that point in no time. Well, not all people had overpowered weapons to support their growth…

Overall, the combo of Growth Stabilizer and 10x Growth was the reason behind my ridiculous XP Gain and fast Level Ups.

Then, how was I only at LV 23 when I had those two factors? I should have been at a higher level, right? The answer: I only hunted a species of monster to unlock Yaris' forms and wouldn't hunt the same monster again afterward.

If I really wanted to power-level myself, I would hunt monsters above LV 40 because my Status allowed me to farm them for more generous XP. However, monsters around the castle town were very weak, very suitable to be called monsters for noobs.

All that aside, back to me and my slave. I put down my slave on top of the sleeping bag. It was something that I bought from Erhard's shop.

Speaking of her, there were still a couple of hours until the Timer ended. Yet, she looked better. In addition, she had leveled up three times.

I had assigned a "Job" for her. It was called "Courtesan."

Yep. I assigned that job because of my intention for her.

Her Courtesan Job was only LV 1 at this point, and it gave Constitution Up (Small) as LV 1 Skill. As an aside, Constitution governed over the physical state of a character; the physical conditions, health, and stamina of a character were included in the list.

Speaking of her condition, I discovered that she wouldn't get restored to peak condition from Level Up, unlike me. As expected of "Limited" Gamer Mode.

Now, she looked like a different person. Gone was the emaciated woman with a hideous appearance. She looked healthy and full of vitality.

Her pale skin had recovered a bit, but it wasn't enough to be called healthy complexion. Her disheveled blond hair was straightened. Her cadaverous figure was now filled up. The sagged down breasts like deflated balloons were looking like two ripe melons. They were round and firm and big with a healthy pink-colored nipple glued on each tip. Her thighs were filled up, rich and healthy.

She looked like a woman in her mid-twenties, oozing refined sex appeal. She was also pretty, even more so than Malty. It was uncertain if it was her innate beauty or because of her boosted charm.

One of her fox ears, which had once been bald and full of festering wounds, was twitching reflexively. It looked cute.

Now, that I looked at her closely, wasn't she similar to the physical characteristics of Haruhime Sanjouno from "Is It Wrong to Pick Up a Girl in the Dungeon?"

Fox ears and a bushy tail? Check. Blond hair? Check. Green eyes? Check. Being a prostitute? Well, she was a sex slave. It was a bit different, but it was essentially the same, so another Check.

This girl was actually a reference for that Haruhime, eh? Somehow, I wasn't surprised. Ren was a Kirito-Expy and Itsuki was Shirou Emiya-wannabe. Those reincarnators (I.e. Takt, Kyo, and so on) were the sorry excuses for the parody of Isekai protagonists. So, yeah, I wasn't surprised.

I decided to synthesize clothes and gears for her and opened up the Recipe Synthesis function of the Holy Spear. Firstly, I synthesized a set of clothes for her. The source material was the normal cloak that I had bought from Erhard and had used to cover her body.

Recipe Synthesis function would unlock recipes if a hero already knows the production methods. The example: I knew how to create a rough, primitive paper from woods and water. With that knowledge, the Recipe Synthesis allowed me to synthesize the item.

My knowledge, the ability to recall my old memories with perfect clarity, and the Recipe Synthesis. With the three of them together, I had something that could be called a production cheat. But, it wasn't without flaws.

There was something that I still didn't know how to synthesize. To name the few: something from my world that I didn't know the production methods and the "fantasy" products of this world. However, I could unlock the recipes by letting Yaris absorbing certain materials like the Blue Mushroom from before. But, I digress.

Soon, Yaris finished synthesizing the items. They were chest binding, panties, a sleeveless top that looked like a vest, an obi, a mini skirt, short pants, and a pair of socks. All were dark green.

Even though I didn't have disposable materials to create an elastic band, I still could enchant some fabrics to be elastic.

I could do that because I had unlocked Enchant Formula I, II, and III when Enchanter Job reached LV 7, 8, and 9. As an aside, Enchanter Job from LV 1 to LV 3 gave me "Enchant Success Up" with Small, Medium, and Huge potency, and from LV 4 to LV 6 gave me "Enchant Effect Up" with Small, Medium, and Huge potency.

I felt mildly curious about the last skill from the Enchanter Job, but I assumed it would be another Enchant Formula. But, I digressed.

Back to enchanting my slave's synthesized clothes, I enchanted them with Enchantment that I deemed useful. However, the low-quality base materials wouldn't allow me to put many enchantments on them.

I checked out the details of the finished products.

…

**Green Kunoichi Set: Medium Quality**

**Enchantment: Blood-Clean, Auto-Repair, Auto-Cleaning, Auto-Refitting, Temperature Control, World's MP Drain**

**Equip Bonus: DEF+ 25, M. DEF +10, Hide Presence (Medium): Only effective in Forest**

…

Blood Clean protected the clothes from bloodstain. World's MP Drain passively absorbed magic power in the air to empower the enchantments. The rest were self-explanatory.

It could be better if I had top quality materials with me, but, well… I guess I must synthesize a new set when I had those top quality materials in the future.

I put the clothes on her. As I did that, I discovered that my body was able to get stimulated in spite of my stunted emotions. At least, I knew that I could have sex. I was tempted to take her right here, right now, but I quickly discarded the idea. It was better when she was awake and agreeing to do that. Still, my hands lingered on her soft breasts and supple thighs for some time. It couldn't be helped. Touching those parts felt nice…

After I finished putting on her clothes, I began synthesizing gears for her.

I synthesized a breastplate, gauntlets, shoulder guards, knee guards, and greaves from the leftover magic ores in my possession. To soften the interior so it wouldn't scrape her skin, I layered it with the leftover monster's leather in my Inventory.

Also, I synthesized a Katana and a Wakizashi (Japanese's short sword). Thanks to my old weeaboo self, I had read and watched the documentaries of the production methods of those Japanese swords.

…

**Magic Gears Set: Top Quality**

**Enchantment: Blood-Clean, Auto-Cleaning, Auto-Repair, Auto-Refitting, Soft-Interior, Temperature Control, World's MP Drain**

**Equip Bonus: HP Up (L), HP Recovery (L), ATK Up (M), DEF Up (L), SPD Up (M), M. ATK Up (XL), M. DEF Up (XL), CON Up (L), Stamina Recovery Up (M), DEX Up (L)**

…

**Magic Katana: Top Quality**

**Weapon's Status: 950 ATK: 1025 M. ATK**

**Enchantment: Blood-Clean, Auto-Cleaning, Auto-Repair, Auto-Sharpening, No-Slip Handle, MP Storage (500 MP), World's MP Drain**

**Equip Bonus: Magic Slash: Shoot wave of magic that delivers magic damage (1.5x M. ATK): Mid-Range: 100 MP Consumption**

…

**Magic Wakizashi: Top Quality**

**Weapon's Status: 750 ATK: 825 M. ATK**

**Enchantment: Blood-Clean, Auto-Cleaning, Auto-Repair, Auto-Sharpening, No-Slip Handle, MP Storage (250 MP), World 's MP Drain**

**Equip Bonus: Magic Slash: Shoot wave of magic that delivers magic damage (1x M. ATK): Mid-Range: 50 MP Consumption**

…

They were top quality items because I had used top-quality magic ores that were naturally produced from the high concentration of Dragon Pulse.

I put the gears next to her location. Also, I got punished by the Holy Weapon system when I held the Katana and the Wakizashi. Even though I didn't plan to use them, the Holy Weapon system still took it as a violation.

I sensed Yaris' worry for me due to the punishment. I convinced her that I was fine and wasn't angry at her. At least, I learned Resist Pain from the accident.

I returned to the flat rock and started compounding some potions that the recipes had been unlocked.

* * *

_**—Part ****3**__**—**_

…

**Healing Medicine: compounded**

**Healing Medicine: high quality: ointment to heal regular wounds**

…

The information appeared directly before my eyes.

Another success.

I thought it would be a good idea to try some other combinations, some things I didn't have recipes for. I tried mixing a variety of things, and the majority of attempts ended in failure: typically a black pile of rubbish. It was mildly interesting though.

[Would you make me absorb it, master?]

I heard a sweet voice in my head. It sounded like the voice of Kana Ueda. A seiyuu of several anime characters in my old world.

That voice belonged to Yaris. She was floating like a certain starred and winged magical girl's wand from an anime that I had watched, hovering behind me. At least, she wasn't like the annoying and sadistic "older sister" wand. She was polite, eager to please me, and very curious about everything. She could be mature too.

Her Sentient Weapon Job now was LV 9. She had unlocked Magic Core skill at LV 2, which enabled MP Gauge for the job owner and she obtained 10 points per her Job Level. Magic Recovery at LV 3, which enabled MP Recovery function; the amount of recovered MP every minute was 10% of the total MP. Telepathy at LV 4. Magic Core II at LV 5, which gave her a +100% Max MP bonus. Magic Recovery II at LV 6, which slightly increased her MP Recovery. Telekinesis at LV 7. Magic Core III at LV 8, which gave her a +200% Max MP bonus. And Magic Recovery III at LV 9.

She could use Telepathy to talk to me and Telekinesis to float around.

I wondered what kind of skill she would unlock when her Job became LV 10. From the pattern that I recognized so far, I assumed it would be another magic skill.

"Yep." I gave a reply as I continued compounding for a little while. I started to get an idea of what I could make.

Yaris used her Telekinesis to grab the healing medicine and absorbed it.

…

**Short Medicine Spear: conditions met**

…

**Short Medicine Spear (C) 0/10 (Unawakened)**

**Weapon's Status: 10 Attack**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0%**

**Ability: Unavailable**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Medicine Efficacy Up (S)**

…

The information cropped up in my HUD. I didn't stop my compounding when it happened.

"Try to absorb the failed products."

[Understood.]

Yaris repeated her action and absorbed some failed products.

…

**Short Poison Spear: conditions met**

…

**Short Poison Spear (C) 0/10 (Unawakened)**

**Weapon's Status: 10 Attack**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0%**

**Ability: Unavailable**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Poison Resistance Up (S)**

…

Well, Yaris only unlocked one form from many failed products. At least, she unlocked something.

Okay, then. Moving on to the next experiment!

I successfully compounded several products and told Yaris to absorb them.

…

**Calorie Potion: compounded**

…

**Calorie Spear: conditions met**

…

**Calorie Spear (C) 0/10 (Unawakened)**

**Weapon's Status: 10 Attack**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0%**

**Ability: Unavailable**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Stamina Up (S)**

…

**Energy Potion: compounded**

…

**Energy Spear: conditions met**

…

**Energy Spear (C) 0/10 (Unawakened)**

**Weapon's Status: 10 Attack**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0%**

**Ability: Unavailable**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: SP Up (S)**

…

**Potential Energy Potion: compounded**

…

**Potential Energy Spear: conditions met**

…

**Potential Energy Spear (C) 0/15 (Unawakened)**

**Weapon's Status: 10 Attack**

**Proficiency: 0: Mastery: 0%**

**Ability: Unavailable**

**Enchantment: Unavailable**

**Equip Bonus: Stamina Consumption Down (S)**

…

I kept compounding potions and unlocking new forms until the sky turned dark and the moon floated overhead. Thanks to the moonlight and the scarce vegetation, my surroundings weren't terribly dark.

Well, the lack of lighting didn't matter because of my mastered Night Vision. I could see in the dark because of that skill.

However, I decided to stop and moved to create a campfire. My slave would wake up soon and she didn't have the luxury of my mastered Night Vision. The Timer showed that she would wake up in the next several minutes.

I searched for firewood and created a campfire. Because of my ability to use magic, I could create fire to burn the firewood without problems.

I recognized that having magic was very convenient.

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 4**__**—**_

My slave finally woke up.

I had been waiting for her full awakening. I had sat on the dirt floor next to her sleeping bag.

Yaris was leaning on the rock that I had sat on some time ago. She looked like a normal spear, a bit gaudy, but still a normal-looking spear. Not a floating, talking spear that I knew of.

I had told her to keep her distance and stay silent for the time being. I wanted to focus on my slave for now.

Yaris had obliged without any fuss. But, I had the feeling that she would just chime in as she pleased.

Back to my slave. Her eyelids twitched and opened up, showing a pair of lifeless green eyes.

"Ah…" She gasped faintly. Her green eyes moved and then focused on my face. "Where am I?"

"You're in the forest near Melromarc's Castle Town, sweetheart." I gave a reply and a small faint smile. Also, I decided to be a bit flirty.

"Who're you?" She looked at me blankly. Her voice was blank, but it still held the musical quality in it.

It sounded nice.

"Did you forget about me and our deal?"

Soon, her face showed her realization.

"Ah… So that wasn't a dream…"

I nodded wordlessly.

When my slave tried to get up, I swiftly supported her. She was startled when I gave my support.

She checked her physical condition silently, noting the clothes she was wearing.

"I have healed you and those clothes are something that I created for you. Also, I have some gears and weapons for you."

I pointed at the piled-up gears and two bladed weapons not far from our spot.

She looked at it for a moment before creating some distance between us. She wasn't too far nor too close. Her next action made me raise my brows.

She prostrated on the dirt floor, resting her forehead on the ground without caring about the dirt. She spoke solemnly, "Just as the deal I have accepted, my life, my body, my mind, and my soul… Everything belongs to you, my master. Please use me as you wish."

I decided to check out her information in silence. I could do that since one of my Class had surpassed her LV.

I discovered that her Loyalty to me had hit the roof. However, her affection was low. It didn't mean she disliked me or worse. No, it meant that her feeling to me was mild and… business-like? Hollow? Perhaps, assuming her feeling equal to what she felt for her customers wouldn't be wrong.

But, I couldn't fault her for that.

How should I put it…? Well, she had a very sheltered life, and she only knew how to service men in all her life.

Her past was… dark. Even with my stunted emotions, I felt bad for her. Only mildly, though.

She never asked to be a sex slave or a prostitute, but she was born as one. Her mother seemed to be a pure-blooded fox-type demi-human who was caught by Slave Hunters and was sold as a sex slave to a brothel.

Her father was just a random customer of her mother. She didn't even know about him beyond he was a human since she was a human and fox-type demi-human hybrid.

Since she was born, she only knew how to be a sex slave. An obedient one. She wasn't taught how to live like normal people. In regard to her actual age, well, let's forget about it. Her real age would be the biggest cock-blocker for me.

When she got infected by STD and her health dropped, her owner ignored the symptoms and forced her to keep producing coins for him. When her condition became worse, she was sold to Beloukas, the Slave Trader who sold her to me.

However, she was dying and even Beloukas discarded her and threw her into the disposal pit. She didn't have a future. She had been in utter despair that would unlock Sloth Series if any Holy Heroes experienced what she felt.

Her devotion to me was absolute because I had saved her from certain death.

I wouldn't be surprised if she would gladly throw her life away if I said so.

She was like a puppet.

Obedient yet unfeeling.

[You don't like an obedient woman, master?] Yaris communicated via our Telepathic link.

'I like obedient women. But, too obedient that makes her look like a doll? I don't like it, I think.'

I didn't want my woman to be a mere puppet that would follow all my whims.

I wanted a companion or/and a lover. A doll couldn't be one of them or both.

[It's just a physical action. You needn't hold yourself, master.]

'But, she became mine due to our deal. She doesn't have feelings for me beyond gratitude. She doesn't even _understand_ what's _love_!'

[Ugh. Master, you just make it more complicated when you don't need to. Just do it. It looks like she won't disagree. Feelings can be developed later and from master's memory, there were some cases when a couple married for other reasons than love, yet they could develop a romantic feeling for their spouse, right? You can teach her how to love yourself. And you are someone who should fuss over someone's feelings the least, master.]

'It only happened in fiction, and I bet you know it from some fictional stories in my memory. And sorry if I'm emotionally stunted. I never asked to be one.'

[Your mental condition aside, master, in your world, this world is a setting for a fictional story. If you could believe this world as real as it can be due to Multiverse Theory, why can't those dramas be real too? The multiverse is fast and maybe, those dramas did happen in another universe.]

I couldn't argue back and focused on my slave again.

After pondering for a short while, I decided that it didn't matter. Sex was sex. For someone like her, it was purely physical. It was like having a sex buddy.

I could still make her fall in love with me later on. And the fucking would become love-making after she had fallen hard for me.

Yaris was right. I didn't need to hold myself. Besides, she was like a blank canvas that was ready to be painted with something that preferred.

I guess I had subconsciously held my desire to use her as what I initially intended her to be after reading her pitiful information.

She had pitiful past, so what? I could give her amazing life experience from now on without putting aside my initial plan for her.

As I ruminated all of these and pondered what I should do next, she never moved. She was still prostrating. Not even a twitch from her tail or her fox ears. She waited for my command and she would do so without any question.

So subservient.

Too obedient.

I released a faint sigh. A reflexive action as I immersed in the mild troubled state of my mind.

"Raise your head."

She did as she was told. Her pretty face was set into a neutral mask. Her green eyes were like the calm surface of a pond. There was no emotion that rippled on it. As a matter of fact, her genuine surprise and confusion were the last emotions that she projected before she prostrated to me.

Her long, cascading blond hair took my attention.

"Come here. I need to do something with your hair."

She blinked slowly and nodded. She approached me and sat in the Japanese's seiza position in front of me. Her posture spoke her subservience.

"Turn around."

She did as she told and I began styling her hair in a bun.

"Should I cut my hair?" She asked in the middle of it. Her tone was flat.

"No. I think you look good with long hair."

"Do you like a woman with long hair?"

[You like a female with long hair, master?] Yaris also asked.

"Depends. Whether long hair suits her or not." I replied to both of them.

"I assume that long hair suits me."

[Will I have long hair when I am finally capable to transform?]

"Yep."

I was uncertain who I replied with that.

This was why I wanted Yaris to be silent when I had a conversation with my slave.

[Sorry. I will be silent now.]

'Please do,' I replied to Yaris mentally.

"I understand. I shall take care of my hair for master's sake."

I decided to give no response to that.

Soon, I finished styling her hair into an intricate yet secure bun.

"Now, this is better."

She had one of her hands on the bun, feeling it carefully.

"I don't know how to tie my hair into this complicated bun."

"I could teach you if you want."

"I would feel honored." She responded positively to my offer. Yet, her tone was still neutral as usual.

We stayed in silence for a few moments.

She turned around and looked at my face neutrally.

My Sense Intent picked up her inner struggle and I spoke, "Talk whatever in your mind. I never forbade you to do so."

She nodded slowly and started talking, "This might be discourteous for a lowly slave to demand something from her master. But, I wish to know more about my master."

I blinked my eyes and nodded my head.

"Fine. I guess it is time to give you some explanations, yes?" She nodded and I continued, "Hmmm… let's start with who I am. You see, I am one of the summoned four holy heroes, the Spear Hero, to be precise."

Her reaction was… confusion? Yeah, my Sense Intent picked up confusion from her. I guess she didn't even know about the famous legend of the four holy heroes due to her sheltered upbringings.

"I assume that you don't know about the legend of the four holy heroes?"

She shook her head. So, she really didn't know about that.

"Then, never mind. Just remember that I am your master and your life is mine. Got it?"

She nodded silently.

"By the way," I continued on, "my only wish is enjoying my current life. However, I am only capable of enjoying limited things because of my stunted emotions. To sum it up, I only enjoy delicious foods, thrilling fights, and, potentially, good fucking. I'm a selfish and possessive person. Since you are mine, I wouldn't like it if other men touch you. In the past, you might accept all men who paid you for your service, but it stops now. You are mine. Nobody else. You won't spread your leg for other men. Only me. Got it?"

My slave nodded her head and tilted her head, looking at her lap in contemplation. After a few moments, she raised her head and spoke, "I think I understand what master wants. I would be honored to serve you with my body. But…"

She trailed off and looked at the piled-up gears.

"I guess master also wants me to fight?"

"Yes."

She blinked and looked at me in silence.

As a fox-type demi-humans, she was fast and nimble. I had created a Katana and a Wakizashi because they suited her build.

Even though she looked excessively pretty and very sexy, she was a demi-human whose animalistic nature was strong. Of course, not all demi-humans were prone to violence, more so if they were half-human. But, all of them would turn savage when their wrong button was pressed.

I didn't know her wrong button, though. Her information didn't say it.

"Master, may I speak?"

I nodded wordlessly.

"Since I was born," She began, "I never fought anyone. I only know how to fornicate. With that, will you still tell me to fight?"

"I will teach you how to fight. Besides, it will help you to protect yourself in the future. So, when someone forces himself on you, you can fight back."

"I understand. My body belongs only to master."

She prostrated again.

At the same time, her affection for me increased. Her current affection would be enough to describe it as "Like." Not "Love," not yet at least. It was still far away from that point. But, it was good progress.

"Stop. You don't need to prostrate to me."

She raised herself from her prostrating posture and looked at me in silence.

We settled in comfortable silence.

After some time, I break the silence first. I spoke, "How should I call you?"

And that was the problem. She didn't have a name. She was only referred to as "She" and "Her" in her character's information. It looked like her old master didn't even bother to give her name.

I was uncertain why her mother didn't give her one. Perhaps, she actually had one but she didn't know it since her old master never bothered to call her with one.

"Hm?" She looked at me in contemplation. After some time, she returned my question with hers. "Would you be kind to give me a new name?"

I asked her, "Why? You can pick out any name you want."

She had one hand on her chest and looked straight into my eyes. She had a neutral smile on her face.

"My current life belongs to you, master. I think it's only appropriate if you bestow me a new name to symbolize it."

The soft lights from the moon and the campfire that showered her beautiful form gave a picturesque scene.

I nodded silently and began thinking of a new name for her.

"Haru." I decided on a name for her.

I knew that it looked uncreative because the name sounded similar to a character she looked like. But, I had another reason to pick out that name. Besides, I'd realized that only her physical characteristics that looked similar to Haruhime Sanjouno. Their personality was different.

"Spring?" She tilted her head quizzically.

I suppose Gamer Physiology translated the word directly to her language. Hence, she heard "spring" instead of "Haru."

"Yeah. It means spring. But it is Haru. Ha. Ru. Besides, spring is a season in which new life blooms. Since this in a new beginning for you, I think it is a good name."

"Haru…? Haru… Haru…"

She tested her new name with her mouth.

As she did that, the bushy tail that had been unresponsive started wagging around. The more she repeated the name, the stronger that her tail waved behind her.

Her affection to me sharply increased, but it was still not enough to be called "Love."

"Very Like" was the aptest description.

She stopped repeating her name and gave me a soft smile. It was sweet and full of gratitude. It was different from the hollow smile she had for me before.

"It is a beautiful name. I shall wear it proudly. Master, I shall become your Haru from thenceforth."

"I'm glad you like it."

"By the way, master, I haven't listened to your name yet."

"Ah," I realized that she was correct, "I forgot to tell you my name. Well, I called myself Arif. But, I would like it if you call me Rif."

She looked at me silently. Her head tilted to the side and a small, bewitching smile adorned her pretty face. If I was the old me, my breath would have been stolen away from me and I would have become so flustered.

She was just that charming.

"Master Rif…"

She tested my name.

"Just call me Rif."

She bluntly spoke, "No. Can't do. You're my master and I would call you with appropriate title and respect."

"But, I don't want you to call me formally."

"Hm? What about Mister Rif?"

"Do as you wish, then…"

"Then, would you be kind to answer a question from this lowly slave of yours?"

She had recovered her bewitching smile and moved her face so close to mine. I could feel her warm breath on my face.

She was seducing me for whatever reason…

"What's it?" I gave a calm reply.

"Would you use me now?"

I blinked my eyes, slightly caught off guard by her blunt question.

So, she asked me if I would fuck her now? She was really forward.

I didn't mind it. As a matter of fact, I had a mild approval for her directness.

Perhaps, it was due to my stunted emotions that preferred a straightforward thing?

She suddenly claimed my lips and began kissing my mouth furiously. Her action was desperate and needy.

It looked like she had mistaken my silence as approval.

Well, since she had started this, I would be a fool to stop it.

I returned her kiss. Her tongue moved skillfully inside my mouth, leading my tongue in a frantic dance.

We breathed through our noses as we kissed and embraced each other.

Our bodies fell on the sleeping bag. She rested on her back, her slender arms circling my neck and her meaty thighs clamping my waist, keeping me close to her. My chest was squeezing her ample bosom flat even if they were covered by her clothes.

I sensed her grinding her crotch on mine. Her movement was desperate and needy.

It looked like she was very easy to get horny.

Then, again, she only knew how to fuck and be fucked. Her body had been primed for sex all her life.

We did that for some time.

Yaris was very silent, but I sensed her curiosity and rapt attention as we made out heavily.

Haru broke the kiss first. She pulled her head while staying in my arms. Her pale face had become very red. Her green eyes were clouded by lust. Her breath was short and labored.

When her hands tried to undo her clothes, I stopped them.

Haru looked at me in silence, perplexed.

Surprisingly, I didn't sense frustration from her.

Normally, people — men and women — would become frustrated by being cockblocked.

"I need to go somewhere soon," I told her.

She tilted her head quizzically. "Where?"

"Castle town."

"Why?"

"To see what a certain bitch will do to one of the summoned heroes."

"I don't understand."

"Then, fine. You will understand later."

"I guess you will explain everything to me later."

"Maybe…" I trailed off.

Inwardly, I made a mental note to teach Haru about some common sense later on.

"Will you bring me too?"

Haru's question took my mind from my thoughts.

"No."

I sensed Haru's sadness when she heard my answer. There was also anxiety. I guess she wanted to follow me.

However, it wasn't safe for Haru to follow me. She didn't have mastered Hide Presence like me.

"Mister Rif," she called for me.

"Yes?"

"I cannot fight."

"Ah, I see…"

I understood why she wanted me to bring her too.

She couldn't fight. It would be dangerous if she was alone in this forest.

"Well, I guess I will bring you with me."

She nodded wordlessly, but her bushy tail waved furiously.

It looked like she was happy with my decision, but I had a different plan.

My way of bringing her to the castle town was different from what she was expecting.

"Alright. Don't fight back. Just relax and trust me."

She tilted her head quizzically and looked at me in silence. Most likely, she was perplexed by my command.

However, she nodded and relaxed her body.

I swiftly stored her inside Inventory. Since she didn't fight back, I could easily do that.

After storing my camping gears into other slots in my Inventory, I was ready to return to the castle town.

"Yaris," I called my sentient Holy Spear.

She floated to me. I grabbed her body when she was in my arm's reach.

[I thought you would fornicate with her.] She suddenly commented.

'Well, it was very tempting indeed. But, I need to watch what is Malty planning to frame Naofumi. In the series, it wasn't clear. Naofumi just got drugged and when he woke up the next day, Malty had accused Naofumi for a rape. She needs to do something to back her accusation since there is no gullible idiot like Motoyasu.'

[Fair enough. But, storing that fox demi-human in your Inventory, really? Why don't you just bring her normally?] The voice of Kana Ueda sounded amused.

I decided to elaborate. 'As you might have known, this country holds prejudice for demi-humans. The king hates demi-human and Shield Hero. The Church of Three Heroes is more so. I don't think people in the castle town would like me, a spear hero, to bring a demi-human together with me. And don't let me start with the believers of that Cult. If the High Priest hears one of Holy Heroes together with a demi-human, a race he preached as the spawns and friends of devil shield, he will send his Shadow to assassinate Haru. Because of that, I need to keep her existence as a secret or find a way to hide her status as a demi-human until the Queen returns from her negotiations and wipes out the cult.'

I paused, realizing something.

"Wait. You should already know about this, right? You can read my mind after all." I spoke aloud.

[I just want to talk. Talking with you feels nice.]

"I suppose I can see your point. You just unlocked your skill so it still feels novel."

[Bingo!]

"Whatever… Do what you want."

[Oh, I intend to do so.]

I activated Hide Presence and then teleported to the Teleportation Point that I had set in that empty alleyway. I would find out soon just what Malty's twisted mind scheming to back up her accusation to Naofumi.


	4. 1-4: Watching Developments as the Spear…

**All right, guys. Be prepared for the first canon divergence in this chapter.**

**By the way, I published this chapter early because I won't be able to access the internet until the early-twentieth of November **_**at the earliest **_**or early December **_**at the latest**_**. I need to go to a relative's home in a rural area.**

**That aside, this chapter should be released on Saturday, November 9th, 2019. Too bad that FF dot net didn't have a timed-release function like other fanfiction platforms.**

**I promise that the next update will be double chapters. I said that the place doesn't have an internet connection, but I never said I couldn't write in my free time still.**

**As an aside, for you guys who have guessed about me stocking up chapters, yes and no. I only stockpiled chapters for volume 1, and this chapter is my last stockpile.**** Also, the pacing of the story will rise since I won't spend like millions of words for the RotSH arc. I have a plan for this story to be Multi-crossover after all.**

**Now, for you, who have guessed Ereshkigal for the "mysterious" Nasuverse's character whose appearance was picked out for the Spirit of the Holy Spear, kudos!**

**I picked up Ereshkigal for the reasons you would find in this chapter.**

**Oh, I had edited some parts in the previous chapter because of some reason. Nothing much, just turning the Job's skill list into a narrative and changed Haru's background. She had a sheltered life and only knew how to be a prostitute. It would be fun to write her character development from a sheltered prostitute who knows nothing about the world to a proper living being.**

**The last warning for you before we proceed to the chapter: this chapter contains NSFW materials. There will be smut, but there won't be a warning when it starts. You have been warned!**

**Now, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Volume 1: Chapter 4: Watching Developments as the Spear Wielder**

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 1—**_

I had teleported to the empty alleyway where I set one of the Teleportation Point of the Portal Spear. When I arrived in the castle town, the empty alleyway wasn't empty as I had expected. I had stumbled in what looked like a thug fornicating with a hooker. My sudden appearance shocked them, and I reflexively knocked them and hid their bodies in my Inventory. Some hero I am…

After that short unscheduled event, I swiftly searched for the inn in which Naofumi and Malty stayed for the night. Also, I discovered that other heroes and their party were staying in the same inn. It looked like the best inn in the castle town.

Because of the presence of the other holy weapons, I needed to keep Yaris inside Inventory when I was around the other heroes. Fortunately, Yaris had been very accommodating. She was a very understanding and loyal Holy Spear.

I would shower her with affection after she managed to transform into her humanoid form for all goodwill she had given me so far.

When I arrived at the inn, I easily found my targets, namely Naofumi and Malty.

I watched them closely. Due to my _broken _Hide Presence, they didn't even realize it when I was just standing behind Malty. Those two were none the wiser.

It looked like they were planning for their schedule in the morrow. There was a bad quality map spread out on the table.

"Well," Malty began, "you can't see it on this map, but I was thinking of heading to a village on the other side of the forest. It's called Lafan."

"You don't say…"

"On the outskirts of town, there's a dungeon suited to beginners."

"A dungeon…" Naofumi voiced in wonderment.

I checked out the Map and found the dungeon in question. The village called Lafan was at the other end of the forest that I had been staying a while ago.

"We might not make much money there, but it would be a great place to level up."

Malty's voice returned my focus on them.

"I see." Naofumi nodded in understanding.

As I watched them in silence, I had managed to eavesdrop the talk of Itsuki and his party.

"Oh, Bow Hero, sir! You made my heart beating so fast when you saved me from that scary monster in the plain!"

"Indeed. You were very amazing. So dashing!"

In my periphery vision, I caught the sight of Lesty and the other noble girl were firmly in Malty's pocket. They had started manipulating Itsuki with their feminine wiles and empty praises. I guess they did it to make Itsuki more susceptible to Malty's manipulation later on.

It didn't help when I discovered that Itsuki was susceptible to seduction when those girls were pushing their arguably big breasts on his arms. He had a faint blush on his cheeks and his eyes were briefly lingering on the source of the squishy sensation that he felt.

Those two girls were good. Not as good as Malty, but still good for someone so naive in regard to the opposite sex like Itsuki.

"Sir Bow Hero, you truly make me, Mald, feel honored to be in your party! You're truly a justice personified."

"As Sir Mald said, it is an honor to assist a righteous hero such as you, Mister Itsuki."

"Now, let's cheer for Mister Itsuki! Our Hero of Justice!"

Not only Lesty and the other noble girl, the Knight named Mald, the Mage named Welst, and the Thief named Rojeel were also helping Malty to soften Itsuki's defense, so to speak.

They all originated from some noble families in Melromarc. Even Rojeel, the blond-haired female thief was a noble girl with a rebellious streak. Hence, she picked out Rogue as her class.

As a matter of fact, all party members of Itsuki had an aristocratic origin.

They lavished Itsuki with their empty praises, enlarging the little shit's already overinflated ego. I could see that Itsuki's ego was feeding on their empty praises like a starved animal. He was already preening like a peacock with two flowers at his sides. Watching that, I was mildly amused. It looked like Itsuki's fate was sealed for good.

Truth be told, I didn't care about Itsuki or Ren. What I cared about the most was Naofumi. Why? Because I believed Naofumi to be fate's chosen one. The so-called Protagonist.

Even if the Sword and Bow Heroes died, I wouldn't even bat an eyelash on it.

As a matter of fact, I would like that to happen.

If those two died, the Wave of Destruction would become stronger. Then, it would spawn stronger monsters. Strong monsters meant higher XP Gain. I could get all XP that I needed for power-leveling myself and my future party members.

I moved my attention from Itsuki's table to Naofumi's table because of Malty's voice.

"I have new equipment. While we will depend on your defense, it should not be too difficult for us."

"Awesome. I'll consider it."

Naofumi grinned good-naturedly at Malty, unaware of what kind of venomous serpent that woman was…

Since my current level was higher than Malty, I could see her Status and Information.

Her personality was like the congregation of all negative traits; she was malevolent, narcissistic, egocentric, haughty, dishonest, corrupt, arrogant, amoral, treacherous, sinister, sadistic, bullying, abusive, deceitful, prejudiced, selfish, greedy, and tyrannical psychopath. In addition, she was a pathological liar.

I assume this trait was due to her nature as the fragment of the godlike woman behind the Wave of Destruction.

All that aside, back to the present. Malty spoke, "Oh, no problem at all. Oh, hey, don't you drink wine?"

"Nah, I don't really like alcohol." Naofumi gave an ambiguous reply to Malty's offer.

If I recalled correctly, Naofumi had a special constitution that made him unable to get drunk.

I suddenly became curious and checked Naofumi untouched meals and wine. My Gamer Sight informed me that those things had a sleeping drug in it. Well, Naofumi couldn't get drunk, but he was still susceptible to drugs and poison. At this point, he didn't have good Resistance against them.

It looked like the inn was also joining Malty in her attempt to screw over Naofumi.

"Is that so? You could just have one glass?" Malty insisted.

But, Naofumi firmly declined, "No thanks. I really don't like it."

"But…"

"No thanks." He repeated his firm refusal. But, it wasn't enough to save him.

"Oh… All right then." Malty looked upset as she retracted the glass of wine.

"At least we were able to get a plan together for tomorrow. Let's get to bed early tonight."

"Sure. See you tomorrow." Malty agreed with fake sweetness.

They finished eating, and Naofumi turned his back on the loud restaurant to go to his room. I followed Naofumi and slipped into his room unnoticed. I stayed in the corner, waiting for what would happen next. I watched Naofumi taking his chainmail off and flung it over the back of a chair. He then put his money pouch on the bedside table. Soon, he started getting sleepy. He turned off the lamp and fell asleep.

A few moments later, the door opened up. I saw Malty entered the room. My Night Vision allowed me to see clearly in darkness. I saw Malty's sneer as she looked at Naofumi's sleeping face. Malty was carrying something. A bottle of wine? It wasn't drugged. Well, I would find out what she planned with it soon…

I raised my brown when she began undressing Naofumi's lower outfit.

"Heh, heh, men are fools. So easily tricked… Can't wait until tomorrow."

I heard her faint yet malicious whisper. My Sense Intent picked up so many negative intents from her.

I had a plan to watch the proceeding while staying hidden. I had wondered what would happen…

In the source materials, it never displayed what Malty had done to Naofumi after he got drugged and lost his awareness. It was only said that Naofumi heard a loud clamor and then found himself overslept in the inn's room. When he woke up, he discovered that his chainmail had disappeared and then he saw Motoyasu wearing it. Then, he was accused as a rapist because of Malty's false charge.

Now, there was no gullible idiot like Motoyasu that Malty could manipulate easily. I took Motoyasu's role as the Spear Hero, but I wouldn't allow myself to be Malty's puppet. As apathetic as I was to most things, I still disliked being controlled. Even the dislike was only mild at most.

I had shown that I wouldn't take Malty and the other girls and had even dismissed them impolitely.

Ren wasn't an easy prey for Malty because the boy was prudent in spite of thinking this world was a virtual reality game.

Malty's only target was Itsuki.

The boy might hold a delusion as an ally of justice, but he wouldn't believe Malty's accusation of Naofumi's alleged crime without proof. He might be delusional and naive, but he wasn't stupid.

The ongoing manipulation that his party members subjected to him without his awareness wasn't enough to help Malty. She needed to have proof to accuse Naofumi and obtained Itsuki's help. I was curious about this proof. Hence, here I was.

But…

'I never guessed she would go this far,' I remarked silently.

I watched Malty taking out Naofumi's limp dick. She then began giving the sleeping hero a handjob. At the same time, her other hand slipped under her purple skirt. Watching her movement, I found that she seemed very skilled at what she was doing.

"Heh. It is a shame that he is the Shield Hero. His dick is surprisingly big. If he is the owner of other holy weapons, I would like to add him in my collection." She snickered coldly.

After Naofumi's dick became fully erect, Malty started ripping off her clothes. She even went so far bruising her own skin in certain places.

"Tsk… Damn. Ouch!" She hissed and cursed under her breath from harming herself.

'I see. She does that so she looks like a victim of sexual assault, eh? She's rotten, but she's smart.'

I couldn't help but praise her willingness to harm herself to make sure that her plan wouldn't fail.

Malty finally climbed the bed and positioned her drooling pussy above Naofumi's ramrod dick. She swiftly sheathed Naofumi's cock inside her pussy and began shamelessly riding the unconscious Shield Hero.

I was slightly amazed when I saw how Malty was riding Naofumi like a veteran cowgirl. She was really skilled, and it made me wonder how many men she had eaten to be that skilled.

At this point, she was already unchaste. I couldn't find the sign of her virginity in the bed. There was only love juice from the reverse rape.

I recalled that she lost her purity when she studied in Faubley. She was sent to Faubley to learn something by the Queen, but the only thing she learned after graduating from Faubley's academy was how to be a slut.

'It was ironic, really. She accused Naofumi of raping her when in the truth is the opposite.' I felt both amusement and disgust. Only mildly, but the feeling was still here.

The amusement was for the irony in Malty's accusation. The disgust was for how low Malty could be.

My voyeuristic activity continued until both were cumming. It looked like Malty was enjoying this too.

Afterward, she drew a small amount of blood from her finger and mixed it with their sex fluids. With that, it looked like she had lost her "purity" under Naofumi's "sexual assault."

She healed her finger and put the last touch. She took out a small bottle of wine and drank half of it but didn't swallow it. She kissed Naofumi's mouth and poured the wine into his throat instead. She sprinkled the other half on Naofumi's body and underwear. With that, Naofumi looked like he was heavily drunk when he "assaulted" Malty. Smart.

Malty left the room, and I followed her.

I watched her "play."

Her target was Itsuki. She knocked on the door of the room rented by Itsuki's female party.

After they came out, they exchanged soft whispers and then nodded at each other. The one noble girl whose name I didn't bother to remember hugged Malty who began her acting. Malty was crying crocodile tears and was putting on a miserable face. Rojeel just stood there and feigned concern as she looked at the "traumatized" Malty.

Lesty left for Itsuki's room and began knocking the door frantically. "Sir Hero! Please wake up! Something horrible has happened. We need your assistance Sir Hero!"

"What is it?" Itsuki soon came out and looked very annoyed because his sleep got interrupted. His male party members were right behind him.

"It's horrible, Sir Hero! We need your help to bring justice! Myne, sir! Something happened to Myne!"

Itsuki looked at Lesty strangely. The girl's acting was good. He allowed himself being dragged out of his room. He then saw Malty's "horrible condition" and opened his eyes wide. "What happened?" He demanded.

"O Righteous Hero! Sir Itsuki! *hic* Please, please, *hic* grant me the justice *hic* I deserved!" Malty wailed, her voice full of suffering.

Well, damn! If I had Oscar's trophy with me, I would chuck it at her head.

The clamor had woken up even Ren and his party. They looked at the corridor, at Itsuki's group. They looked curious and a tad annoyed because their sleep got interrupted.

I watched in silence as Malty used her acting skill to convince the heroes and their parties about the injustice she had suffered under Shield Hero's tyranny. She spun a tragic story about how she was sexually assaulted by drunk Shield Hero and lost her "purity."

I saw the disbelief, shock, disgust, and anger in everyone's expression when they heard Malty's false story. Some feigned it, though. I could sense their intent and emotions, after all.

Only the single female member in Ren's party, Elena Haven, had doubtful expression. But, it happened for a brief moment. It looked like she knew Malty well that she doubted Malty's claim and act.

"Where is Naofumi, then?"

"He *hic* is sleeping in his room, Sir Hero. After he… *hic* After he… *hic*"

"No need to force yourself, Miss Myne."

Itsuki stopped the "traumatized" Malty from speaking any more and looked at Mald and Welst. They nodded at him in return and went to Naofumi's room with Itsuki leading them.

I followed them and watched Itsuki and his male "companions" inspecting the crime location. I saw it when Itsuki's face twisted in disgust and outrage when he saw the "proof" on the bed.

"What should we do? Bring this rapist to a nearby knight's station?" Itsuki asked for his companion's thoughts.

"We should inform His Grace about this, Sir Itsuki. After all, the criminal is one of the summoned heroes."

"Humph," Itsuki harrumphed in a mix of disgust and outrage, "Don't call this criminal a hero! He isn't suited to be called one! Heroes must keep up justice, not tarnish it!" He declared in righteous indignation.

"Of course, Sir Itsuki," Welst chimed in slickly, "But, we need to report this event to His Grace."

"What about him? Are we going to leave him here just like that? What if he wakes up and runs away before he can be judged for his crime?"

"About that… we can ask for Sword Hero's assistance to watch over this criminal, perhaps?" Mald voiced his idea.

"Let me speak with Ren first, then."

"Very well, sir. You know better since you are THE Hero."

After unintentionally preening at his party's empty praise, Itsuki left the room to have a short discussion with Ren. Even though Ren seemed to find it a bother, he still gave his agreement. Then, Itsuki, his party, and the "traumatized" Malty went to the castle.

I decided to follow them and watched what would happen next.

So far, it had been interesting. I wonder what would happen next…

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 2—**_

Morning came.

The townspeople assembled in the plaza.

They had heard about the trial for the Shield Hero who was accused of a sexual assault. Since Melromarc was a matriarchal country, something like rape was considered a heinous crime. A taboo.

I watched from a roof, not far from the plaza.

This development was certainly unexpected. From what I could recall from the source materials, Naofumi never got a public trial. He had been dragged out of his room the next day and he would receive a trial in the throne chamber.

The reason behind this unexpected development was Itsuki.

It looked like Itsuki didn't only have Batman fetish when he went heroing. He didn't seem to mind grand trial like this. As long as he could be seen as an "Ally of Justice," he would accept or even create the opportunity. I guess it was due to the manipulation of those Thots and Parasites in his party.

Unlike Itsuki, Ren was nowhere in sight. It looked like Ren and his party went to power-level somewhere. As Kirito-Expy, Ren disliked revelry. He liked to grind his level more than wasting his time on Naofumi's trial.

All that aside, back to me. I wasn't alone. Haru was seated on my lap, and I enjoyed the sensation of her bubbly buttocks on my crotch. It was nice. I had gotten an erection from it, but I could easily control my sexual desire. Some time, my stunted emotions could be useful, too.

"There are so many people," Haru remarked softly, curious and amazed.

There was something missing from Haru. It was her fox ears and bushy tail. Fret not, they weren't cut off. She was wearing an enchanted item that could cover the user in an illusion. It also falsified a character's information.

The magic item was a belt that circled Haru's slim waist. I had… liberated it and another one from the Church of the Three Heroes' shadows last night.

The bodies? I kept them inside Inventory. As of now, I had kept four bodies in my inventory. I was counting. Always.

I didn't know when I would take them out, but I digressed.

Even though her ears and tail disappeared from anyone's sight, I could still feel them. Her ears were tickling my cheeks, and her tail was brushing my torso lazily. Her hair was still held in a secure bun, touching my neck.

I had covered our spot with a powerful illusion. If someone looked in our direction, they would see nothing. It was Revelation class Light Magic, after all.

Yes, I could cast some endgame's spells already, thanks to the ridiculous Max MP, Max SP, and other things. Of course, I hadn't had enough M. ATK to raze this country to the ground. Not yet, at least.

I had Yaris inside Inventory for the time being. She had agreed to stay in Inventory, albeit begrudgingly. She had wanted to watch the Holy Shield's Owner getting trialed and shamed.

It looked like the Holy Weapons inherently disliked each other to the point of enjoying the suffering of the others.

I never knew that the rivalry between Holy Weapons was this… vicious. I only thought that it was only screwing off the heroes' XP Gain when they were nearby, unless it was amidst the Wave of Destruction.

When I asked about that, Yaris answered, [Master, Multiverse Theory. Remember, anything that can happen happens.]

What a cheeky spear…

But, I couldn't deny her claim. This "canon divergence" was another proof that anything could happen.

"Well, the king, the Church of Three Heroes, and the Bow Hero wanted to make this trial public."

I responded to Haru's remark. The discussion happened last night, and I was there, overhearing everything while being hidden from everyone's sense.

"Bow Hero? Is he also a hero like you, Mister Rif?"

"We were summoned to this world at the same time, yes. But, I would get offended when I am put together with him," I added silently, 'If I am not emotionally stunted, that is it."

"Why?" Haru turned her head around, her posture tilting to the side to get a better look at me. Her expression was flat, but her look was curious.

"Out of the four holy heroes, I think he is the worst.."

"I don't understand."

"Let's see. You know my flaws already, that I'm selfish and hedonistic. But, I can be reasoned. The Sword Hero is in denial, believing this world to be one of his virtual game that he is forced to play as his body is coalescing from the accident that sent him here. He can be reasoned too. The Shield Hero is naïve, too naïve that it's very painful to watch. He believes this world is fun and all. Never expecting this world is more brutal than his original world. He still can be reasoned. Finally, Bow Hero is delusional, believing himself to be an ally of justice when he doesn't know what being an ally of justice means. Someone like him won't accept anyone's advice. He will cause problems unintentionally and won't accept that he's guilty. His blind righteous belief is very dangerous to everyone else. His party doesn't help. They just feed his ego."

It sounded like I disliked Itsuki, and in truth, I disliked him. I guess I was biased.

"Hm? I still don't understand." She corrected her sitting posture and looked ahead.

"Well, let's put this discussion on hold. The judges come."

Haru and I watched as Aultcray, the High Priest named Biscas T. Balmus, and Itsuki walked up to the alleviated podium with a long table and three throne-like chairs.

"Who are they, Mister Rif?"

"You see the bearded man with a crown and a staff?"

"Yes."

"He is the king of this country," I continued my explanation, voicing several facts about Aultcray.

Also, I explained the concept of country, monarchy, and king because Haru didn't understand them. It was due to her lack of common sense. She was only told to receive depravities of me who paid for her since she was old enough to be a prostitute. Her old master didn't care about Haru's education, and other prostitutes were busy with their own problems.

Haru's old master really saw her as nothing but coins dispensing tool. Not as a living being.

I was sickened by it. Even though the feeling was mild, I still felt it. I unconsciously tightened my hold on the lovely fox demi-human.

"I see. So, he hates demi-human. Is he the reason for your worry about my safety?"

"Not so much as the bespectacled man in a monastic white robe. The High Priest of the Church of the Three Heroes. He is…" I explained what I knew about Biscas and his Cult.

"So, that man is dangerous. He is the one who's likely sending someone to kill me, yes?"

"Not likely, Haru my dear. He will _when_ he finds out the Spear Hero is fornicating with a demi-human."

Haru tensed her body briefly, and then leaned her back on my chest. Her soft hands were strongly holding my hands on her stomach.

"I…don't want to die. I'm scared of dying, master."

"Then, you won't die. You're mine. You can only die if I say so."

"I'm master's property. My life, my body, and my soul belong to master," Haru recited her pledge again to remind herself of the fact.

"Indeed. But, I also want you to enjoy your life."

"Master is kind," Haru paused briefly. "I guess that boy with that strange item is the Bow Hero?" She returned our talk to the proper topic.

"Yup. That kid is Bow Hero, Itsuki Kawasumi. The thing he carries is the Holy Bow."

"I understand."

Soon, the main character for this farce of trial arrived in the plaza.

The townspeople split apart like the Red Sea when Moses and Israelites ran away from Pharaoh and his army. I saw a carriage, steel bars — a cage — on top of it. Naofumi was inside that cage, chained down like a dangerous animal — or criminal in this case. He was paraded for everyone in this castle town.

I inspected his appearance and he looked pitiful. He was angry and confused, mostly confused.

This was another unexpected development.

Last night, after Itsuki, his party, and Malty went to the castle to report Naofumi's "crime," Itsuki, Mald, Welst, and some knights returned back not long afterward. They grabbed the unconscious Naofumi from his room and threw him into jail for the worst criminal. I followed them, and they weren't the wiser.

As an aside, I saw someone who made me stop for a few moments and contemplate. That someone was Eclair Seaetto, one of many female characters in the canon.

As the stereotype known female characters in RotSH, she was very attractive and sexy, rivaling even Haru. But, I quickly dismissed my idea to take her to my party.

She was better with someone like Naofumi, and her righteous knightly personality wouldn't suit me and my plan for my harem-party.

It wasn't like this world lacked pretty girls.

There was an alleviated platform, slightly lower than the dais where Aultcray, Biscas, and Itsuki were seated. Townspeople were circling it, watching Naofumi who was chained and herded by two fully-armored knights. One of them was the one who I'd faced off yesterday.

Naofumi was forced to kneel in the center of the platform. He snarled at the knights for the rough treatment. And as zealots of Three Heroes Faith, they relished in the misery of the "Shield Devil."

Aultcray opened the trial, and the plaza became silent. He charged Naofumi with "sexual assault." His voice was loud and clear.

Myne was called to give testimony. She spun a tragic story that painted her as the tragic victim and Naofumi as the tyrannical, brute offender. She showed her acting skill that would give her Oscar's awards ten times over.

When Naofumi tried to defend himself from the accusation, one of the knights struck his head. The Knight that fought me hurt himself instead. The other knight swiftly pinned Naofumi's head on the floor with the sole of his footgear, stopping Naofumi.

Itsuki gave his testimony and mentioned the "proof." He added some insults at the end of his testimony, "How can someone from Japan is a scoundrel like you! Are all Japanese in your world are scoundrels too? Mine and Ren's didn't seem so! Criminal like you sicken me so much! You aren't suited to be called a hero!"

Naofumi broke. His blank expression spoke that. His worldview was flipped.

After a few moments, his blank expression distorted into a savage, outraged one. He spoke aloud, "… Fine. I don't care. Just send me back to my world, and call yourself a new Shield Hero. That'll do it, right?" He demanded the king to send him back to his world.

"Things don't go your way, so you decide to turn tail and run away? You have no sense of responsibility or justice. You ignore the task you've been entrusted with, only to attack a poor girl… Just terrible…" Itsuki condemned aloud.

"As expected of Devil. O God, please protect your faithful followers." Biscas prayed aloud, mocking Naofumi.

Naofumi glared at Itsuki and the High Priest hatefully. I could see so much rage and hate in his look.

The king simply crossed his arms and frowned. "I would very much like to send you home, but the waves of destruction will not allow it. New Heroes can only be summoned once the original four have all died. This is what the researchers say."

Well, that was a misconception. And I bet those researchers didn't know better or tried to write anything for fame. I knew that the world will fall if all Holy Heroes died in the middle of the Wave of Destruction. The proof was S'yne's world.

Her world fell after the Holy Hero of her homeland killed by Reincarnators, and it happened in the middle of the Wave of Destruction. Even in Glass' world, Kyo Ethnina didn't dare to kill Kizuna because he knew what would happen to the world if she, Kizuna, the last Holy Hero of that world, died. Hence, Kyo locked Kizuna in an endless labyrinth.

"That's… you're kidding, right?"

"You mean we can't go home?"

Itsuki and Naofumi were taken aback by the information.

But, Naofumi soon recovered and continued, "When were you planning on telling us that?!"

Aultcray said nothing, and Naofumi forced himself to stand. The knights were thrown back.

"Plan on running, eh?!"

"I'm not running." Naofumi snarled at Itsuki, and then turned at the king, "Well? What's it going to be, Your Majesty? What's my punishment?"

It looked like Naofumi accepted that he couldn't back to his world.

"At the current moment, you are our only defense against the coming waves, and therefore will not be punished. However, your crimes are already well known to the people. That will be your punishment. I doubt very much that you will find work or help in our country."

"Ah, thank you so much!" Naofumi's voice was thick with sarcasm.

But, the trial hadn't ended yet.

"If I may, Your Grace."

"Your Holiness?" Aultcray turned at Biscas.

"Since the Shield Hero has sinned, leaving him just like that won't be enough punishment for his crime. How if we brand him with a new title that signifies the sin he has committed? Let's call him Shield Devil. A hero won't even if ever sin. Only a devil does so!"

Naofumi glared at Biscas hatefully. Itsuki gave the High Priest a side glance and his look spoke his agreement.

Aultcray feigned his contemplation and then nodded. "Very well, then. With my Authority as the king Aultcray Melromarc the thirty-second, from thenceforth, Shield Hero, Naofumi Iwatani, will be known as Shield Devil!"

I heard Aultcray's declaration. Naofumi whispered something but his voice was too soft for me and Haru to hear.

The farce of trial concluded. Naofumi was known as "Shield Devil" henceforth.

There was so much drama in that farce of a trial.

Naofumi climbed down the podium, head low. His face was covered by his bangs.

Townspeople parted, giving him a wide berth. They murmured scornfully and looked at him with cold or stink looks.

Even though there were some unexpected developments, Naofumi had fallen. At least, he wasn't executed. He would rise from the bottom as he was fated to be.

All was well.

I decided it was time to leave the castle town and started Haru's training.

"All right," I raised Haru's light body from my lap and made her stand on her own feet, "Let's leave for the forest. It's time to start your training."

"As you wish," Haru replied calmly.

* * *

_**—****_Part_ 3—**_

"Um? Master, should I really do this?" Haru asked me doubtfully.

Her trembling hands were holding her Wakizashi.

I stood in front of her. My hands held a struggling Pill Rabbit. I pointed it to her.

Yaris was floating behind me. In the beginning, when Haru saw a floating and talking (in our mind) spear, she showed curiosity and confusion, mostly curiosity. But, she quickly settled her feelings after I explained Yaris' existence to her in detail.

"Yes. This is the first step."

Haru alternated her look between the struggling Pill Rabbit and my face. She lowered her face and began whispering something under her breath.

"I'm master's property. Master's command is absolute."

She raised her head and showed a blank face. She poised her Wakizashi and struck the Pill Rabbit with it. However, her move was horrible. It showed that she never attacked something or someone.

The round rabbit-like monster screeched aloud. Blood spilled on our gears and clothes, but the Enchantments made it slid down the ground as if the surface of our outfits were a slippery slope. However, some splatter of blood stayed on our faces.

I ignored the notification that informed me of 60 XP gains and 6 pieces of bronze loots. My focus was on Haru.

She had frozen, and then, her body began trembling. Her slit-like pupil turned slimmer, contracting.

She looked like she was going to hyperventilate. But, she calmed down suddenly.

"How are you feeling?" I asked her, trying to project so much concern in my voice and expression.

"Horrible," Haru gave a blunt reply, "But, not so much. Gamer Psychology helped."

Some time ago, before the dawn and after I collected Haru from Inventory, I had given her a detailed explanation about the RPG System and what she obtained as a member of my party. The explanation went well. Haru accepted everything easily and asked not much.

"I see. Can you continue?"

Haru looked at the dead Pill Rabbit in my hand, its blood dripping ceaselessly.

"As you wish." Haru nodded firmly and poised her Wakizashi to strike again.

I stored the bloodied corpse of Pill Rabbit in an empty slot of Inventory and then took out another Pill Rabbit, still living.

This one was LV 8, two levels higher than before.

There were several Pill Rabbit, Pikyu-Pikyus, and Dark Porcupines kept inside my Inventory.

Haru stabbed it. This time, her movement was better.

It looked like she had learned a skill called Single-Edged Sword Mastery.

We repeated it until Haru got desensitized to the blood and death of monsters. The notification had stopped cropping up right after each kill. Since the pause between each monster became shorter, the system likely rounded them together for later.

Finally, there were no living monsters left in my Inventory.

"Master, where should I assign this XP? My Class or my Job?"

I put my XP assignment on hold and focused on Haru's. I had split the XPs for the three of us; me, Yaris, and Haru. We had gathered thousands of XPs because of RPG System's Growth Stabilizer and Holy Weapon's 10x Growth.

"Well, assign them to your Job. You're already high leveled enough… For now."

"Understood."

Haru's Job leveled up several times. Most skills unlocked were Hidden Status boosters. Her Constitution, Dexterity, Charm, and Luck were passively increased by Small amount. She also unlocked two skills called Charm and Sexual Instinct.

Charm would charm all monsters and characters if their Charm stat was below Haru's. Useful for distraction, but it wouldn't affect anyone with Gamer Psychology.

Sexual Instinct gave Haru the ability to perceive the sexual desire of her sexual partner and to act on it with a slightly increased effect. Well, this would be useful for our sexual activity.

I assigned my XP for Job and hit the Level Cap of Enchanter Job. As I'd guessed, the LV 10 Skill was Enchant Formula IV. I could give items better enchantments with the new formula that cropped up in my mind.

I picked High-Enchanter as my next Job and assigned the leftover XP. The Job leveled up two times. The unlocked skills were Enchant Formula Mk. V and VI.

Yaris had maxed out her Sentient Weapon Job. The last skill of that Job was Projection. It allowed Yaris to project her humanoid form. However, it was only a projection. An illusion.

I guess she could really transform after maxing out her second Job, Sentient Artifact.

And speaking of Yaris' appearance…

[Why!? Why dost thou have forsaken me, world!?]

Yaris' loud wail echoed in our mind, making us flinch. Her voice that sounded like Kana Ueda's voice was full of agony and unaddressed injustice.

She was on all fours, punching the ground with one hand. But, her hand just sunk into the ground since she was only an illusion.

She had a well-featured delicate face. Her skin was pale, but not sickly pale, it was healthy pale, referencing the pearly white color that dominated her form as the Holy Spear. Her eyes were ruby red, like the crimson gem in her Weapon Form. Her hair was long and was tied up in twin-tails style. It was like countless golden strings that were growing out of her head, referencing the golden ornaments on the Holy Spear. She was wearing a simple white dress with a black ribbon and laces.

Overall, her theme referenced the Holy Spear. If I told someone that she was a Saintess or a Holy Woman or even a Goddess, they would agree immediately. Her appearance was just that sublime.

She looked like a supermodel who cosplayed as Ereshkigal from Fate/Grand Order.

Why Ereshkigal, though? It would be amazing if her form looked like Scathatch or Artoria Lancer or Summer Tamamo or other sexy female Lancer-class Servants from Fate/Grand Order.

Well, I was just nitpicking. I wasn't truly disappointed. As a matter of fact, I was happy that Yaris' humanoid form was so pretty.

Truth be told, her face could be said to be prettier than Haru's.

However, there was a single flaw in her goddess-like appearance…

[Arg! I know I am a spear, but why my humanoid form is so slender like a spear! Unfair! I can't accept this!]

Tears poured from her red eyes. Those ruby-like orbs were full of resentment, glaring at Haru's ample bosom.

Haru's chest binding didn't hide her size, it just kept them on the place. Thus, Haru's generous tits were very noticeable.

"Mister Rif?" Haru looked troubled, alternating her look between me and the jealous spectral woman.

She didn't know what to do.

I released a faint sigh and called for Yaris.

[What?!] She pouted at me, her voice echoing in our heads. [What's it? Are you going to laugh at my boobs? I'm sorry for having small boobs! It's not like I want to have small boobs, you know! I want to have big boobs too! Ugh…]

Yaris whined and fell on all fours again. Gloomy clouds hovered above her head.

I guess it was an illusion or something like that.

I shook my head at her overdramatic action…

"You shouldn't be ashamed by your bosom's size. You have an attractive form. You're, in fact, prettier than Haru."

"I concur." Haru chimed in. She was being honest.

[Liar! Master, you are a booby man! You like girls with big boobs!]

"Really, Mister Rif?! Did that mean you like my boobs?"

"Haru, be silent. You are not helping. And Yaris, it isn't like you really have a flat chest…"

It was true that Yaris had a slender figure and small boobs. But, she still had boobs to grope, just fit enough on my palm, unlike Haru's ample boobs that were very big like a ripe melon.

Big enough that my hand was unable to wrap on it.

[See! SEE! Ugh! I want to have big boobs too!]

Ops. Yaris could hear my mind.

She started whining about injustice and whatnot.

I was certain all lolicon would become outraged when they heard Yaris' complaints.

"Couldn't you, like, change your appearance?"

[I can't!]

"Why?"

[This form is stuck with me. I don't know the reason, but I just can't change it!]

With that, I had a hunch that Yaris' inferiority over her bust's size would become her shtick later on.

We kept going back and forth until I somehow calmed Yaris.

We decided to continue power-level as we went in the direction of Lafan.

After some time, our second Jobs were maxed out. I assigned Blacksmith as my third Job, Yaris had Spearman as her third Job, and Haru had Swordsman as hers.

As an aside, Yaris now could transform into a corporeal humanoid form. She obtained the skill at LV 10 of Sentient Artifact.

Since Yaris had a skill called Item Creation, though it was specialized for spears in her Weapon's Transformation List, she could fight by spamming projected spears like Gilgamesh, Shirou Emiya, or CG EMIYA. Whenever her MP was dried up, she would tap at mine since I rarely used it.

It looked like I wasn't the only one who could drain SP from her (SP was originated from Holy Weapon), but Yaris could use my MP pool whenever she wants. At least, she asked for my consent first.

When she was fighting in her humanoid form, I was using her projections in my two hands to fight. The Holy Weapon system accepted the items that Yaris projected as her, so I could do that. I felt like I was becoming the badass Lancer of the Fuyuki's Fourth Holy Grail War with two spears.

Haru became better at fighting. She would use her speed and nimbleness to box her enemy and sent a precise, deadly attack to end the fight.

We arrived in Lafan when the sun was almost set on the horizon. We had progressed so much in a very short time.

My secondary Class had become LV 30, my Blacksmith Job was completed and I assigned Smith Master as the fourth Job. Haru was LV 28, and she had obtained her fourth Job, Samurai. Yaris was the only one who had unlocked her fifth Job, Spell Caster.

It was quite a surprise when Yaris asked for that Job. But, I didn't have problems with it.

When we entered Lafan, my entourage and I gathered so much attention. It was understandable.

Haru was very sexy, and her Kunoichi outfit made her look exotic. Yaris was so attractive that she was like a goddess descended to the mortal realm (and it wasn't far off the mark since Yaris was a Divine Construct, to begin with.) Then, there was me, a man who had significantly boosted Charm stat.

So, yeah, it was understandable that we were the center of attention.

We went to the best inn in Lafan and enjoyed the specialty of the establishment. As usual, I ate excessively. At least, I wasn't alone. Haru and Yaris engorged themselves on the food.

Haru rarely if ever ate delicious food because her old master, and Yaris wanted to enjoy the food due to the taste bud she acquired after transforming into her humanoid form.

After we engorged ourselves, we turned our backs from the awestruck expression of the other customers and left for our room.

* * *

_**—****_Extra_: Shield "Devil"—**_

A week went by.

A week since this another world adventure that was SUPPOSED to be FUN. But it was ruined because of my companion's betrayal.

I hated her. Because of her, I lost my reputation, trust, and money. Just as my adventure began, I lost it all.

The whole world looked awful to me then. Hideous.

Not only her, but I also hated the trash king, the cult leader, and the delusional kid named Itsuki for their so-called righteous trial.

Hah! Don't make me laugh! They had accused me of sexually assaulting Myne Suphia when I got drunk. But I couldn't get drunk since I could remember! Also, I didn't touch wine that night!

It was clearly Myne's trap. She planned everything. I hated her, I hated this world, and I wanted this world burn.

I think my anger toward the world is justified. After all, they had summoned me here. But, look! What had they done to me?!

All that aside, I stayed relatively close to the castle so far.

"Hey there, Shield-Guy."

"Huh?!"

It was the owner of the weapon shop. I'd been walking around town in my underclothes, and he called me over when he saw me.

Granted, I'd been passing right by his shop, but what could he have wanted?

"I heard that you tried to take advantage of your friend. Come over here and let me give you a hard smack."

It was like he had no intention of listening to me in the first place. Hatred was on his face, and his hand was curled into a tight fist.

"You too?!"

No one wanted to listen to me. No one believed me. Granted, I was from another world, and the common sensibilities of this land were a mystery to me. But even then, I was not the type of person to force myself on a woman. No way!

Ugh… it was making me sick. Even the owner of the weapon shop started to look like her. Like that backstabbing bitch!

I could probably kill him with a well-placed punch. My hand was also curled into a fist. I glared at him.

"You…" he widened his eyes suddenly.

"What? Weren't you gonna hit me or something?"

His hand relaxed, and he didn't seem as on-edge.

"So, he is right…"

"The hell are you talking, old dude?!"

I wanted to punch him, but I stopped myself. What good would that do? I needed to focus my anger on the balloons, it would at least do me some good. If I focused my anger on them, I could level up and make some money.

"Wait for a sec!"

"What?!"

I was standing at the town gate, ready to leave for the fields, when the weapon shop guy called out to me again. I turned to him, and he tossed a bag in my direction.

"You'll never make it dressed like that. At least take this."

I looked inside the bag and raised my brows in confusion. It contained a cape, some clothes, a shield with a sharpened edge, and several sheets of rough-looking paper.

"How much are these worth?"

"No need to pay for that. Someone else has paid them for you."

"Who?!"

"You'll find out if you read the massage."

"Got it."

Honestly, I was starting to worry about going around in my underwear. Also, who was the mysterious guy who bought all of these for me?

Was he meant well? Or was this another ploy to make me suffer?

"If you need anything, you know where my shop, lad. I will give you a fair price."

"Sure you will."

I flung the cape over my shoulders, changed into the clothes, and left for the fields. I planned to read the letters when I was alone.

After resting under a tree's shade (and making sure that there were no monsters around), I took the rough paper and found the content was written in Japanese.

I became angry when I remembered the faces of Itsuki and Ren. Well, the latter wasn't much as the former.

Ren wasn't around when the so-called trial of justice happened. It was Itsuki, the king, and the High Priest who judged me guilty and shamed me, changing my name into "Shield Devil."

Since then, I was known as "Shield Devil," a rapist, a criminal, and a sinner in the town. I hated those three so much that I wanted them to _suffer_!

I forcefully squashed my anger and began reading.

The letter explained how this kingdom, Melromarc, had a deep prejudice for Shield Hero and Demi-Humans. It was due to my rotten luck that I was summoned as the Shield Hero. I became angry.

The king actually hated the existence of demi-humans and their deified figure, Shield Hero, because he'd lost his parents and little sister to demi-humans. No wonder the trash king always giving me cold looks. He actually hated me just because I was summoned as the Shield Hero. I hated him too, no, I hated him so much…

The letter also warned me about the Church of the Three Heroes, the heretic cult that preached the Shield Hero was evil and all. This made me remember of the High Priest's face, and my anger and hatred increased.

The latter told me that Myne was actually the first princess of this kingdom, and because her personality issues (and the letter's sender even called her like a venomous viper, which I wholeheartedly agreed upon), she wasn't appointed as the crown princess. Her little sister was appointed as the crown princess instead. The latter's sender even said he had a bad feeling about the girl. Well, no wonder he looked at Myne, no, her real name was Malty S. Melromarc, like she was waste disposal.

I felt angry with myself for being fooled by her sweet action. I'd been a fool. Shame on me, then.

I discovered that Melromarc was actually a matriarchal country and the king, the first princess, the cult, and the king's aides had summoned all holy heroes against the agreement with other countries. Because of that, the Queen who could be an ally for Shield Hero, namely me, needed to do damage controls outside of the countries. She needed to do that so a war wouldn't break up when the Wave of Destruction hit the whole world.

I didn't believe in the letter's claim. In my eyes, every member of the royal family in this country was utter trash. The Queen should have kept a tight leash on her trashy husband and bitchy daughter. She was also guilty! I hated her!

Personally, I would be happy if this country was razed to the ground by other countries. I hated this country so much. I wanted this country to burn!

I learned the name of two countries who deified the Shield Hero. They were countries that were the antithesis of Melromarc who believed in human supremacy. Those countries named Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden. I regretted dismissing their offer to take me away to those countries. Staying in a country that respected Shield Hero sounded nice.

Or not… I was warned to be careful because some leaders of those countries were corrupt. The name Jaralis was stored in my memory, I needed to be careful around a beastman with that name. He and his followers would use me if I wasn't treading carefully.

So, this world was rotten to the core. Nothing was good in this world. Then, this world should have just burnt!

I became angry. So, so angry…

But, I restrained my anger. I would unleash it to those Balloons after reading these letters.

I learned about the holy weapon's strengthening methods and tried them. I could unlock the methods of the Sword, the Spear, and the extras, but not the Bow. I suppose I despised Itsuki so much that I didn't want to have any relation to him.

The letter told me many things, and it told me that the letter's sender had bought a demi-human slave to help me out. I just needed to go to the Slave Trader in the back alley of the castle town to get _her_. In the beginning, the idea of accepting the slave sounded good to me. After all, Slaves could die when they violated some rules set by their masters.

I knew that piece of information from the letter.

But, I decided against it because the slave was a _girl_. Just the gender alone made me remember of that insufferable Bitch!

In addition, the slave was supposed to be a royal lineage of a country in the far east of this world. The letter said that she had massive untapped potential and I would be able to unleash this potential. But, learning that this slave was also a princess, even an unofficial one, made me very, very angry. She reminded me of Malty, no, Bitch!

Yeah, I am going to refer to Malty as Bitch from now on!

Well, the letter didn't explain the slave's royal lineage, but it still alluded to it.

I didn't want her. I knew that this would spat on my benefactor's goodwill, but I didn't fucking care!

I didn't want to get high blood pressure from staying around someone who reminded me of Bitch so much.

Finally, I crumpled all the paper and put it back to the bag. I would burn it later, just as the note at the end of it.

I looked at the sky and found that it was going to be evening soon.

My mind was spinning from many things.

Those things were the information that I obtained from the letters…and the sender.

"So, this is from that guy, huh? I guess it came from his game knowledge. Still, since his knowledge seems to be true so far, I will keep it in mind from now. Who knows if it can help me later on…"

Arif, the Spear Hero. That guy gave me mixed feelings.

I had a deep scar because of what he'd done in the throne chamber a bit over a week ago. He was dangerous, and I would be lying if I said that I didn't feel scared of him.

I felt annoyed because he wasn't here when I was "judged" by the trash king, the heretic cult leader, and that delusional kid. I felt a bit relieved because it looked like he was still my "ally." I felt ashamed for treating him like a plague and felt gratitude because he had done so much for me behind the scene.

I decided to treat him at least neutrally next time when we met.

Also, I needed to collect money to pay back all he spent for me.

I was grateful for his help, but I didn't want to get indebted to anyone.

It looked like he needed something from me, and if I paid back all the things he gave me, we were even. I would like to see if he was shameless enough to ask something from me after that.

"All right. Now, I need to get stronger and collect money."

I needed to collect money to buy a slave according to my preference and pay back everything that Arif had bough for me.

I didn't want to owe anyone for anything, even if he was my supposed "ally."

I took out the shield from the bag and hold it for a few moments.

…

**Chakram Shield: copied: ability locked**

…

**Chakram Shield (C) 0/5**

**Ability: locked: requirement to unlock: LV 10**

**Equip Bonus: Attack +****2**

…

After receiving the notification, I wondered about something and decided to try it.

It was said that the Holy Shield would make it happen if I believed it, right?

…

**You have learned a skill!**

**Dual Wield:**

…

A notification cropped up in my field of vision. It was a success.

I read the skill's information in silence.

It looks like I could equip another shield-type "weapon" in my free hand, but the special ability wouldn't get unlocked unless I reached the required LV.

At least, I still got the Equip Bonus and could use it.

With two Chakram Shields on both hands, I searched for some Balloons.

"Arrrrgggghhhh!"

It took about 1 minute to kill one of them, but they weren't able to hurt me, so all it took was time, which wasn't that long compared to my first attempt when _she _was still my companion.

I spent most of the afternoon fighting and was able to secure a significant amount of balloon skins.

…

**Level up!**

**You are now level 3**

…

I finally leveled up again.

Just as the sun was going down, I realized that I was hungry. I trudged back to the gate and made for the shop I'd been told would buy my battle loot.

A portly man stood behind the counter. He was laughing heartily as he looked me over. He was going to turn me away. I could tell.

There was another customer there also, already selling loot, among which I spotted some balloon skins.

"Yes, yes. How about one bronze piece for two of these skins?"

They were deciding on a price for the balloon skins.

So, only one piece of bronze for two of them…

"Please."

"Thank you very much."

The customer left, leaving me alone in the shop.

"Hey, I brought you some of my battle loot. I hope you'll buy it from me. Heh, heh."

"Welcome! Welcome!"

Did he think I couldn't hear the giggling that followed all of his sentences?

"So you've got some balloon skins, huh? How about one bronze piece for ten of 'em?"

A fifth the price?! He was looking at his feet the whole time!

"Didn't you just offer that customer one piece for two skins?"

"Did I? I can't seem to remember…"

He went on for a few minutes, making various excuses about his stock.

"Fine then," I said, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him close.

"What are you doing?!"

"Buy this stuff off me too. He's still alive, and a real kicker."

I had a Red Balloon hidden under my cape, where it was fruitlessly biting my shoulder. The little shit was something that I couldn't kill even with the two Chakram Shield. I had given up on defeating it after 30 minutes hitting it to no avail. I removed it and put it right in the shop owner's face, where it promptly bit down on the man's nose.

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

He started screaming and rolling around on the floor. I pulled the balloon off of him and pulled him up by the collar.

"Should I take these little things back to the fields where I got them, or do you want to buy them off of me?"

I pulled back my cape to reveal five additional Red Balloons. I'd realized that their attacks didn't hurt me, so I was able to carry them around, and use them against others if I chose to do so. Previously, I had many Yellow and Orange Balloons on me, but I'd popped all of them because of my slightly boosted attack power, thanks to Chakram Shields.

It was an ingenious strategy if I do say so myself. It would help with my negotiations. Besides, I had a ridiculously low attack power, so I wasn't able to threaten anyone without them.

Surely, the man would understand. Surely, he knew that if I left the balloons there, they'd eat the guy down to his bones.

"I'm not asking for much, just a fair price. Our talks start with the market price."

"But the country will…"

"Look, I don't give a flying fuck about what this country will do? You're a merchant, right? You should accept all customers as long as they bring you profit!"

I became very angry when the merchant mentioned this rotten country. I was trying to ignore this small detail, deluding myself that this place wasn't the corrupt country that had made me suffer.

"If you'll buy from me consistently, I'll sell to you for just under the market price."

"Honestly, I'd like to refuse, but there's no sin in business."

"Heh. You finally got it."

In the end, I was able to convince him to buy my loot at just under market price.

I took the money for my loot and went to a restaurant to get some dinner.

The food, however, tasted like nothing.

It was like eating unflavored gum. At first, I thought someone was pulling a trick on me, but soon enough I realized the problem lay with me.

Where would I stay? I had no money, so I slept in the fields. The balloons weren't capable of hurting me, so there was no real problem.

When I woke in the morning, I was covered in balloons. It was something like a Tibetan Sky Burial. It didn't hurt though, and I used them to burn off some stress, popping them one by one.

I was already filling my pockets, and I'd just woken up!

Just then, I came up with an idea. I could make money without having to kill these things all day. It's true that I could pop them, but the number of Yellow and Orange Balloons, the weakest and second weakest of the Balloon's species had dwindled.

The first thing to do was to find some loot, besides the balloon skins, that I could sell for a profit. There were grasses in the field that had medicinal value, and I'd seen an apothecary in town, and I am pretty sure I could sell off the grasses if I picked them.

I walked around the fields, picking grasses as I found them. Suddenly, my shield began to react. It absorbed the grasses as I picked them.

…

**Leaf Shield: conditions met **

…

I spent the remainder of the day walking around, mechanically picking grass and filling my bag. Also, and I don't know if it was because I had been collecting Aelo Herbs all day or just because time had passed since I switched shields, the Leaf Shield equip bonus was unlocked. It was called "Collection Up" which increased the quality of herbs that I harvested.

I made my way back to town and decided to try and sell my herbs.

"These are in excellent shape. Where did you get them?" the shop owner asked after I showed my herbs.

"In the fields around the town. Didn't you know it grew here?"

"I did, but I've never seen such high-quality stuff around. I thought only junk grew out there."

We chatted for a little bit, and eventually, he bought the grass off of me. My stash was worth one piece of silver and 50 pieces of bronze… which was much better than I had done so far. It was a new record.

I had a cheap dinner at a restaurant. As I was eating, a few people stopped by to ask if I would join their party. Unfortunately, they all looked… disreputable. I soon came to find their intrusions annoying.

Ever since that day, all the food I ate tasted like nothing.

"I'll join YOUR party, Shield Hero," said some guy, who clearly thought a lot of himself.

Honestly, I didn't like the idea of joining up with anyone at that point. Besides, they all had this look in their eyes that reminded me of that _Bitch_. Just looking at them made me angry.

In the end, they were nothing but rotten garbage. Just like everyone else in this rotten country. Honestly, I hoped that Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden declared war on this disgusting country already!

I had taken a balloon from my cape and let it bite the man's face.

People threw a fit. I had brought balloons into the restaurant, but what did I care? I pulled the balloon off of the screaming man, kicked the man for a good measure, put money on the table for my meal and left.

And so, days passed by.

It had been two weeks since I received Arif's letters and other stuff.

I worked hard for two weeks and managed to save up 70 pieces of silver, which means that I finally had 100 pieces of silvers. It was equal to one gold piece. I was a tad glad that I had saved a small amount in my shield when I was trialed by the trash king, the heretic cult leader, and Itsuki.

Something about it all felt hopeless. I mean, even with two Chakram shield, my attack power severely limited the places I could visit.

I didn't get hurt or anything, but the Yellow and Orange Balloons had become very hard to find lately. I couldn't even pop the Red Balloon, so forget the other colors. Red Balloon was supposed to be a bit stronger than Orange Balloons. The third weakest in the chain, so the speak. The weakest was Yellow Balloon, and Orange Balloon was just slightly stronger than the weakest.

It meant that I couldn't actually leave the fields, and therefore was forced to do my leveling up there, which I did for two weeks. I eventually reached level 8 and was stuck there. Because of that, I couldn't unlock the unique ability of Chakram Shield or used the enchantment of the one I got from the shop owner and Arif.

I wonder what level Arif had reached. I don't want to think about it. That battle maniac already had a very high level, probably.

There was still a Red Balloon chewing on my arm. It just kept going and going, like it could saw through the bone or something. I'd gone to the forest a whole week prior. I must have leveled up since then. I tried hitting the balloon.

…Clang!

"Sigh…"

My attack was still too low. Even with the Chakram Shield's Equip Bonus.

If my attack is low, I can't hunt monsters.

If I can't hunt monsters, I can't get EXP points.

If I can't get EXP points, I can't raise my attack.

Dammit! I needed something to help me kill these little fuckers… Wait! I forgot about those slaves that Arif's letters mentioned. I guess I would visit the Slave Trader's tent in the back alley.

And so, I arrived in front of a tent. It reminded me of a circus tent.

I had coerced some thugs with Red Balloons to get here. All is well in the end.

I knocked on the heavy door and waited patiently. Soon, the door opened up from the other side. I saw a little girl with reddish eyes and dog-like ears on top of her head.

I suppose she was the so-called demi-humans. I had seen some in the town and they were slaves and were treated badly by their masters.

She looked around ten years old and was wearing a simple, plain dress.

Even so, looking at her made me angry and sick. Because she was a girl, she reminded me of that _Bitch_.

"D-Do you need something?" The little girl asked suspiciously.

I wondered if I was in the correct place.

"Is this place a slave shop?" I decided to be direct.

"Yes?" She nodded slowly and maintained her suspicious look.

"I want to buy a slave. You aren't the owner of this place, right? Call the owner."

"Ah! A customer? Wait for a few moments. I am going to call for Sir Beloukas."

…Blam!

The little girl slammed the door shut and left me standing here. I was very, very angry at her.

Soon, the door opened up and I saw a strange-looking gentleman.

Yes, he was a strange gentleman by any measure: absurdly obese and furnished with polished glasses. He didn't seem to fit the world, which was much more like the Middle Ages. So he stuck out dramatically from his surroundings. He was inspecting me and I sensed his look lingering on my shield for a brief moment.

"Excuse me, Sir. Are you the Shield Hero, perhaps?"

"Been a while since someone called me that. Nowadays, people called me Devil and whatnot. But, yeah…"

"Ah. I have heard the news of your so-called trial, sir. By the way, I have been waiting for you."

"Huh? Is it related to the Spear Hero?"

"Maybe yes, maybe not. Who knows…"

I clicked my tongue when I realized that the Slave Trader was a slippery person.

Soon, the Slave Trader brought me inside. The place was horrible, but I ignored it. He then called someone named "Raphtalia" and the little girl from before came to our location.

I could connect the dots easily. So, this rude girl was the slave who Arif had bought for me.

"Anyway, she is…"

"The slave Arif bought, yeah? I don't need her." I cut the Slave Trader's words.

The Slave Trader and the girl froze and then looked at me, wide-eyed. The Slave Trader soon recovered and began to stammer, "well, sir, she was bought for you and I only keep her around because Spear Hero has paid me to do so."

"As I said, I don't want _her_!"

Venom slipped into my voice when my anger and hatred for Bitch took a hold on me for a brief moment.

The girl flinched and turned her body smaller. Her body was shaking due to whatever reason…

When I looked at her reaction, I relished in it. I imagined it was Bitch in the little girl's place, and I wanted to make her _suffer_.

It had been a while since I unleashed all my negative feelings. Because of how hard it was to find Yellow and Orange Balloons nowadays, I couldn't release my pent up negative emotions. It had been several days since I could just let loose.

When I saw the little girl cowering before me, I saw something different. In her place wasn't a ten-year-old girl with dog-like ears, but that insufferable Bitch.

It was when something snapped in me

…

**Curse Series: Wrath Shield: conditions met**

…

There was a notification, but I ignored it. All pent up anger, hatred, and frustration… I poured all to the girl. Abusive words directed to _her_ escaped my mouth without a filter.

Everything wasn't clear afterward. My mind was clouded by my frustration, anger, and hatred. I just spilled everything until I was satisfied.

When I calmed down, I found myself on the floor, pinned by two people. Their levels were filled by question marks, signifying their high levels.

The Slave Trader was standing behind another person with a question mark in their level.

The girl was curling on the floor, her small body was trembling. She kept chanting "I'm sorry, I'm sorry" like a broken recorder.

I realized that I'd snapped.

"Sorry about that," I apologized softly and begrudgingly. "I'd calmed down."

The people who pinned me didn't immediately release me. They seemed asked the Slave Trader's decision in silence.

"Are you sure that you have really calmed down?"

"Yeah," I grunted. "I won't lose control again. I promise."

"A-Alright then. You can release the Shield Hero."

They finally released me. I swiftly stood up and made my blood flow again.

The Slave Trader spoke something to the little girl. She quickly left like the devil hot on her tail. She didn't dare to look in my direction.

It looked like I'd made the girl utterly terrified of me and the Slave Trader wary of me.

Good. It was better if that girl followed the Spear Hero. Arif bought the girl, and I didn't want to increase my piled up debt to him. He'd helped me so much.

If I accepted that girl, I would just abuse her. I don't want to do that to the goodwill of someone else.

It was very rare to get a good guy nowadays. I wanted my relation with Arif to stay neutral.

"All right," I began, "Show me your cheapest slaves. No female."

"Understood, sir. Please follow me."

Escorted by the three strong people, the Slave Trader led me somewhere.

Soon, I faced two cages. The first one had a rabbit-type demi-human with the physical defect; one of his hands was bent in a strange direction. The other one contained a murderous looking lizardmen. I decided to buy the lizardmen because he reminded me of a savage attack dog. Just something that I needed.

The transaction was quick. After paying everything for 45 pieces of silver (5 pieces for the ritual and a bottle of ink because I remembered Arif's advice about Slave Trainer Series), I left with my new attack dog or lizard in this case. At least, he was very docile around me. But, he looked ready to kill when someone else got near.

He was only docile and harmless around me. Then again, I had the easiest time to befriend dangerous animals easily since I could remember. I could recall when a savage dog that would attack everyone else had allowed me to ride on its back in my childhood.

Regardless, I had something to attack. Now, I could start power-leveling for real.

My adventure in this disgusting world began here!

* * *

**Explanation Time!**

**About Naofumi: As you have known from the source materials, at the beginning of the story, Naofumi was an angsty, angry, edgelord since Malty's betrayal was still fresh. He was very, very childish, stubborn, and blindly throwing a temper tantrum. He felt entitled to lash out his anger and frustration as he pleased because he styled himself as the tragic victim, here.**

**Naofumi was very naive. He believed that being summoned as the hero was fun and game when the truth was the other way. He stated that it SUPPOSED to be FUN. So, when he was treated so badly, he couldn't endure it. His worldview was flipped. He cracked! He snapped!**

**There was a parallel between Naofumi and Itsuki in their sense of entitlement. Itsuki believed himself to be the righteous hero, which he was far from. And Naofumi believed it was his right to be angry and vicious with his lashing out.**

**Actually, all holy heroes in this story, Arif included, had the same thing. All of them were very presumptuous. Ren believed himself to be in a VR Game, Itsuki believed himself to be the chosen one and the Ally of Justice, Naofumi believed himself to be in a world of fun and game like what happened in Isekai novels, and Arif styled himself as a Chess master due ****to ****his foreknowledge.**** But, I digress.**

**T****he only thing that kept ****Naofumi ****grounded was his lashing out at the Yellow and Orange Balloons and collecting money. In the canon, Naofumi couldn't pop the Red Balloons. Only the Yellow and Orange variant, which I assumed to be the weakest and second weakest after the former.**

**In this story, since Yellow and Orange Balloons were hunted to near extinction by Naofumi so early for releasing his anger and for the loots, only Red Balloons were left. He couldn't pop them. And it made Naofumi accumulate pent up frustration.**

**Arif's assistance was a double edge here. It's true that he helped Naofumi to get a higher level and more money than in canon, but it was the small change with big repercussions. As an aside, he didn't give his 30 silvers safekeeping in this story.**

**After the betrayal, Naofumi lost his ability to trust everyone else. Even toward Erhard who helped him and understood that he was innocent, Naofumi was scared to trust him. Hence, he treated Erhard strictly in a business manner.**

**In this story, Naofumi had mixed feelings for Arif and settled in treating Arif in the same manner as he treated Erhard. This was still within Arif's calculation. BUT, Arif also MISCALCULATED.**

**Arif's calculation involved ****Raphtalia, ****and he ****made a big mistake. In the canon, the reason behind Naofumi's decision to buy Raphtalia is to watch Raphtalia SUFFER. He was projecting his hatred for Malty toward a ten-year-old traumatized girl who lost everything. Honestly, this is canon. ****Naofumi was such a dick in the beginning. I think it was justified, but my personal opinion spoke he should be less dickish.**

**Naofumi began to treat Raphtalia better when he realized that Raphtalia was also hurting from her nightmare****s. Naofumi realizes that Raphtalia wasn't Malty and he couldn't keep Bitch's image and a suffering little girl who cried at night due to nightmares.**

**In Arif's letter, Arif explained Raphtalia's special lineage as the descendant of a badass female MONARCH who wielded Vassal Hammer. He did that to make Naofumi see Raphtalia's potential and accept her. He knew that Naofumi needed someone with high attack power, but he underestimated Naofumi's hatred. In Naofumi's perspective, Raphtalia was like Malty, royal blood and it increased his anger due to some similarities.**

**Instead of making Naofumi interested to get Raphtalia, Arif just made Naofumi disliked the concept of having Raphtalia in his party.**

**The last factor that made Naofumi snap at Raphtalia was her "rudeness." I don't think that Raphtalia was wrong because that area was dangerous. And, Raphtalia was still a kid.**

**Well, I'm not sure if unlocking the first requirement of Curse Series: Wrath is pushing it too far, but let's not dwell on it.**

**In addition, the reason behind Arif's decision to buy everything for Naofumi was to instill a sense of gratitude. Arif didn't help Naofumi for free. He wanted something from Naofumi in the future. Naofumi understood this. He had already owed Arif so much from the things he got from Erhard. He didn't want to get into more debt. Hence, he didn't accept Raphtalia after he calmed down.**

**By the way, the part about the savage dog in Naofumi's childhood is a canon. He really has his way with vicious animals.**

**That's all, I suppose. The Psychological Report of other characters, Arif included, will appear in other chapters.**

**Now, Review!**


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